La Abeille et Le Renard
by witchinmoonlight
Summary: AU set after Season 1. Hawkmoth has stolen the Miraculous Chest from Master Fu as an act of ill-will. Finding that the Bee and Fox Miraculouses still remain, he seeks some part time help to overwhelm Ladybug and Cat Noir. And who would be better qualified for the job than the two meanest girls in Paris?
1. Into the Darkness

Author's Notes:

-Okay, I'm not a big fan of the idea of Chloe getting the Bee Miraculous. Despite the fact that it's been supposedly been "confirmed", I honestly think that whoever said that is trying to trick us. (I also think they're trying to trick us on the identity of Hawkmoth, but that's another can of worms...)

-Before you ask, no, Master Fu isn't dead. Hawkmoth just stole the Miraculous chest from him (which at this point, has the Bee and Fox Miraculouses)

-And one more thing; despite popular head-canon theory, Gabriel Agreste and Hawkmoth are two completely different characters for the purposes of this fanfic. I'm not trying to start a fan-war here.

Anyways, on with the show!

It was a day like any other for Chloe and Lila. They were in Ms. Mendeleiev's class, taking a quiz over the polyatomic ions. They had to memorize all of them for an upcoming test. Lila got done with her quiz and turned it in. She got out her smartphone. She looked and saw that she had a voicemail from her mother. She put her phone away. On her first day at her new school, she was akumatized. Ever since, she was out of contact with her real family. A week had passed, and she still wanted revenge against Ladybug. _If only I could destroy her..._ Lila looked at the person on her left. She shared her desk with Nathaniel, an artist, who was too busy sketching an image of a fox to see that Lila was on her smartphone.

Chloe finished her quiz and looked at Marinette. The young fashion designer stared off into space. _She's probably thinking about Adrien. Adrien will never be her's._ Chloe thought. She absolutely hated Marinette. Chloe had a crush on Adrien ever since they were little kids. She knew that Marinette loved him as well. She looked away from Marinette and looked at Sabrina, her best friend and slave. She saw her wear a bracelet with black and yellow stripes on it. With the money her father had from his position as Mayor of Paris, she could easily get a nice bracelet like that. Yet she also knew that there was one thing she wanted that wasn't hers...

"Alright, is everyone finished with their quiz? Excellent. We have a lot more..." Ms. Mendeleiev started to say, before the door opened. A mailman walked in. "Can I help you, sir?"

"I have letters for Miss Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi." he answered. He gave the letters to the teacher. She distributed the letters to the correct recipients and looked around the classroom. Neither of the letters had a return address or an indicator of who sent them.

 _Who sent me this letter?_ they both thought. _And why doesn't it have a return address?_

"Alright, now that everyone's done, onto today's notes. We got a lot to cover." Ms. Mendeleiev said.

Before they knew it, class was over and so was the school day. Chloe went back to her residence within the Le Grand Paris hotel, and Lila walked down a path to an apartment building close to the bakery where Marinette lived. She walked in and saw the host family she was staying with. Mr. Lahiffe was tending to Mrs. Lahiffe and a young girl named Leah was trying to do her homework. Nino, Leah's older brother, was not back yet because he and Adrien were hanging out at an internet cafe.

"Oh, Lila, you're back." Mr. Lahiffe said. "Where's Nino?"

"He's hanging out with his friend Adrien." Lila answered. "Is Mrs. Lahiffe okay?"

"I told you that you can call us by our real names." she answered.

"Drink your hot cocoa. It'll help your cold." he told her. "I really hope your cold goes away soon."

"How can I focus on homework like this?" Leah asked.

"Why aren't you in your room?" Mrs. Lahiffe asked. "It's much quieter in there."

"My desk is a mess." Leah answered. She noticed Lila was in the room. "Hey Lila."

"Hey sis." she said. "What's up?"

"Same old problems." Leah said. "You're gonna continue teaching me Italian tomorrow, right?"

"Of course." she said.

Lila walked to her room. A small space with orange walls, a twin bed with orange sheets and a desk. Since Lila was from Venice, Italy and therefore a foreign exchange student, she had been staying with Nino's family while she was in Paris. She got out the letter. She used a pocketknife to cut open the envelope and read the letter.

 _Dear Lila Rossi,_

 _I know that your heart screams for revenge against those who wronged you. If you want revenge on Ladybug and another chance for Adrien to be yours, come meet me at the Notre Dame at midnight. I will be waiting._

Meanwhile, Chloe sat on her bed and read her note.

 _Dear Chloe Bourgeois,_

 _I know you're seeking something that your father's fortune can't buy you. I do not know what it is, but I do know that I can help you with your desires. Meet me at the Notre Dame if you want to know more about my offer._

Neither of their letters had a return address. Lila thought about the letter. Who the heck was it from? Was it from Hawkmoth, or someone else? Chloe didn't have a clue as to who wrote her letter. After dinner with her father, Chloe went to bed early that evening. She set her alarm to wake her up at 11:50. Many hours had passed. Lila had finished her homework, and she was wide awake. She saw the time on her alarm clock. 11:45. She quietly tiptoed out of her room, took a set of house keys and started to make her way to the Notre Dame. She was very good at sneaking out due to years of practice. Chloe, however, narrowly managed to slip away unnoticed.

 _I wonder who's summoning me,_ Lila thought. _If it isn't Hawkmoth, then who is it?_

 _Who sent that letter?_ Chloe mentally asked.

They arrived in front of the Notre Dame at the same time.

"Chloe?" the faux fox asked.

"Lila?" she asked.

"What are you doing here?" they asked in unison.

"Well, we did both get letters in class today." Lila answered.

"But are they even from the same guy?" Chloe asked.

They compared notes for about a minute or two.

"Well, whoever's waiting for us, we better get going." Lila said.

"Aren't the doors locked though?" Chloe asked.

"I don't think so." Lila answered. She tried to open the doors and the door swung inward. "They aren't. Let's move."

The duo walked through the Notre Dame. It was a beautiful church, yet all of the lights were out. Chloe was a little scared, but she tried not to show it.

"Isn't it kinda strange that there aren't any lights on yet the doors weren't locked?" Chloe asked.

"Shh. Listen. Do you hear that?" Lila asked. The faint sound of music could be heard. "I hear music. Like, an organ. This way."

Chloe trailed behind Lila's footsteps. As the traveled farther down the path, they could hear a dark, grim piece of the music being played. They entered the doors to the cathedral. They saw a man playing the organ. Suddenly, he stopped and turned towards the duo.

"Ah, right on schedule. Hello, ladies." he said, greeting them.

"Hawkmoth." Lila said.


	2. A Comb and a Necklace

The girls could hear the clock chime as it turned to midnight. Chloe blinked twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Hawkmoth?!" she screamed. "Why did he summon us? What would he want with us?"

"Calm down, Miss Bourgeois. I have no intention of hurting you." Hawkmoth exclaimed.

"Then why did you call for me?" she asked.

"I came here to present you the offer of a lifetime." he answered. "Come up to the altar and I'll show you what I mean."

She slowly approached the altar. Hawkmoth reached the altar before she did, and got out a big box. He got out a chest from inside the box and opened it, revealing a comb and a necklace.

"You're giving me a piece of jewelry?" she asked.

"Not just jewelry. A Miraculous. So that you can help me in defeating Ladybug and Cat Noir." Hawkmoth answered.

"Hold up. Why would I join you? You're evil." Chloe said.

"You could say that, but, I prefer the term... misunderstood." he said. "I have my reasons for creating all those akumatized villains."

"And what are those reasons?" Chloe asked.

"To obtain a desire that would otherwise be unobtainable. Your father, the honorable Mayor Andre Bourgeois may have spoiled you your whole with riches, but I know that you don't have everything. Isn't there something you want that your father's fortune can not buy you?" he asked. "Think long and hard before you answer."

 _I've got everything. No responsibilities to worry about, all the clothes and shoes I could ever want, a beautiful bedroom in the Grand Paris Hotel. What more could I desire?_ she thought to herself. Wait a minute... It struck her. All those times she had tried and failed to get what money couldn't buy her.

"Adrien Agreste..." she muttered.

"It seems you desire him. Is he a close friend of yours?" he asked.

"Yes. We've been friends forever and I love him." she answered.

Lila tried her best not to gasp. She still had some feelings for the blond haired model she tried to impress.

"Well, if you joined me, you could find a way to get him to be yours. You are the queen bee after all." he said. He gave her a golden comb with a bee design on the top. She looked at the accessory. "This is the Bee Miraculous. You will use it and join the battle when the time is right. Now put into your hair."

Chloe did as she was told. A yellow sphere of light appeared in front of her. The light faded and revealed a yellow kwami with black stripes.

"Huh?" Chloe asked.

The kwami yawned. "What the? Where am I?" she asked.

"Something I forgot to mention. Along with your Miraculous comes a kwami. The kwami is responsible for transforming you into Queen Bee. They'll have to obey you, whether they like it or not." Hawkmoth explained.

"I have a name you know." she said.

"Then what is it?" the blond haired girl asked.

"My name's Hunni." she answered. "You got any rose petals?"

"Rose petals?" Chloe asked.

"That must be the kind of food she prefers to refuel herself." Hawkmoth explained.

"Okay... So how do I transform?" Chloe asked.

"You just have to say, 'Stripes on!', although there is much you need to..." she began.

"Hunni, stripes on!" she exclaimed.

Chloe transformed into Queen Bee. The Bee Miraculous had five black spots on the ends before the teeth form. Chloe swiped her right hand over her face as a black and yellow mask formed. She extended her arms as yellow and black striped gloves formed on both of her arms. Yellow energy swarmed over her body, turning her clothes into a black and yellow striped dress that reached to her knees along with black skin-tight leggings. Human sized bee wings formed on her back and in her hands formed a black and yellow staff with a black point at the top resembling a stinger.

"Wow, nice outfit. But what the heck is this?" Chloe asked.

"Your kwami was trying to tell you about your powers and your weapon. You're not ready to go after Ladybug and Cat Noir yet. Now, Lila, come forth. I have something for you as well." Hawkmoth said. Lila walked up to the altar at a more brisk pace than Chloe did. "You remember how you tried to trick Adrien, Ladybug and Cat Noir into thinking that you were a superhero named Volpina? And you remember being akumatized so that your lies would become true?"

"Yeah. What about it?" she asked.

"What if I told you that you could become Volpina," he stated, getting out the Fox Miraculous and showing it to her. "For real?"

Lila gasped. "No way..." she said in disbelief.

"You remember your powers as Volpina the akumatized villain, right? Well, they're the same except for one difference; you can only create five illusions at the time before your kwami runs out of energy. The line on your necklace will disappear one by one and you'll have five minutes before you detransform back. Pay attention Queen Bee, because this applies to you as well." Hawkmoth said.

"Alright. I think I know what to do from here." Lila said.

She put on the necklace and an orange sphere of light appeared. The light faded away, revealing a fox kwami.

"Hello there. I already know what my powers are and the how finite they are, so I'll just ask you these three questions; One, what's your name? Two, how do I transform? And three, what do you like to eat?" Lila asked.

"The name's Trixx, you say 'Ears up!', and I like spicy stuff, preferably hot red chill peppers." she answered.

"Got it." she said. "Ears up!"

Lila turned into Volpina. Five white lines appeared on her necklace. She swiped her left hand across her face as her orange mask formed around her eyes. Her miraculous outfit looked just like her akumatized villain form.

"Perfect." he said. "Just perfect. The Bee and the Fox, motivated by love and revenge. Ladybug and Cat Noir, you better watch out, cause you've got another thing coming for you."

Meanwhile, Tikki, Plagg and Wayzz awoke from their slumber. All of them sensed that something was very wrong. Plagg looked at Adrien who was asleep.

 _He's probably dreaming about Ladybug again._ Plagg thought to himself. He started eating some Swiss and reassured himself that nothing was wrong. The black cat kwami was in denial.

But Tikki knew better. She knew that one or maybe even two Miraculouses had fallen into the hands of evil. She didn't want to wake Marinette up due to the lack of sleep she's had for the last few days, so Tikki flew around the room for hours waiting to tell Marinette the bad news.

As for Wayzz, he was in a state of panic. Things were not looking good. Ling Xi Fu, better known as Master Fu, was in deep sleep. Even if he was awake, he was in no condition to try and find evil Miraculous wielders. Another Miraculous (especially two of them) falling into evil hands was the last thing that he needed. He looked out the window at the moon and asked, "What am I going to do now?"


	3. It's Silent Too Silent

Several hours later, Chloe was woken up by her father.

"Darling, you're going to be late." he said.

"Ugh..." Chloe moaned. "What time is it?"

"It's 8:30. School starts in 15 minutes!" Mr. Bourgeois answered.

"15 minutes?!" Chloe exclaimed.

Her father left her to get ready. She got dressed, grabbed her comb and wore a black hand-band in her hair to keep it secure. She put Hanni in a yellow handbag along with her phone and ran out the door into her limousine, eating a croissant while doing so.

Meanwhile Lila was not having a good morning either. Her alarm didn't go off (unlike Chloe who didn't even set one) and she woke up groggy. She had no chance to eat anything so she was hungry by the time she got to Mrs. Bustier's literature class.

Marinette woke up at 8:40. Tikki flew onto her face.

"I hate to start your morning off with bad news, but, last night two evil people got their hands on a Miraculous!" Tikki exclaimed.

"What?! How did this happen?" Marinette asked in shock. "How did you know this?"

"Kwamis can sense certain energies, and when Hawkmoth got his Miraculous, Wayzz felt a negative energy vibration telling him that the Moth Miraculous had gotten into evil hands. Now the same thing's happened twice over, but because of it, I can't determine which Miraculouses are in the hands of evil." Tikki answered.

"I understand, but who's Wayzz?" she asked.

"Never mind that, you have four minutes til school starts!" Tikki exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh! I need to move!" Marinette exclaimed.

20 minutes earlier, Adrien had gotten up.

"Dang it. I had that dream again." he grumbled getting out of bed.

"Wake up and smell the cheese. I did that hours ago and it smells delicious!" Plagg exclaimed.

Adrien scoffed. "That's all you ever think about! Cheese, cheese and more cheese!" he exclaimed.

"What's your point?" he asked.

"You never think about anything but cheese." Adrien said, getting dressed.

"Wha..what?!" he screamed. "That is not true!"

"So true!" Adrien exclaimed. "I bet you can't go a whole day without even saying that word."

"You're on!" Plagg exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Marinette ran past the crowd of students and barely made it into Mrs. Bustier's class when the bell rang. She tripped and fell to the ground.

"Are you alright, Marinette...?" Mrs. Bustier asked. Then she looked closer at her. "I didn't realize it was pajama day." she said.

"What the?" Marinette asked. She was still in her PJ's in her rush to get to school. "Aw man!"

Chloe and Sabrina laughed at Marinette. For Marinette, literature class passed by slowly. During the next passing period, she got changed into a beautiful red dress. She ended up being late and tripping for the second time that day. Right in front of Ms. Mendeleiev.

"You are late. What's your excuse this time?" she asked.

"I had to get into some real clothes." Marinette answered. "I'm not sure which is worse; arriving to class in your pajamas or being late to class because you had to put on some real clothes."

Ms. Mendeleiev looked at Marinette skeptically. "And you expect me to believe you?" she asked.

"In Marinette's defense, she was actually in her PJ's this morning." Nathaniel stated.

"Likely because she overslept." Alya said.

"Chloe and Sabrina also laughed at her cruelly." Nathaniel added.

"Ok, so you're not lying." she muttered. "Now get up so we can start class."

Marinette did as she was told. They continued studying chemical reactions. It seemed peaceful, but due to Tikki's news, she knew something bad was going to happen. She tried to keep up with Ms. Mendeleiev's lecture, but she found it hard to concentrate.

 _Tikki said that two Miraculouses had fallen into the hands of dark powers. How did they get their Miraculouses?_ _Was a stroke of good luck like it was for Hawkmoth? Or did Hawkmoth give them their Miraculouses?_ _Which two Miraculouses fell into evil hands? Were the new wielders working for Hawkmoth? If not, were they working for someone else or for their own benefit? How can I tell Cat Noir? And who the hell is Wayzz?_ Marinette asked herself in her head. Then the most troubling question came to her mind. _Who are the new Miraculous wield...?_

"Marinette! Are you paying any attention at all?" the teacher asked.

"Huh?" she asked. "I guess not."

"Shame on you, Marinette. Normally you're not like this." Ms. Mendeleiev remarked.

"I know." she said.

"You've stared off into space twice now. What's going on?" she asked.

"Uhh... uh..." she shuttered.

 _Oh crap, what do I say to her?!_ she internally panicked.

"I'm just a little shaken is all." she answered.

"How come?" she asked.

"I can't help but think that something really bad is about to happen." she answered. "Hawkmoth hasn't attacked in over a week. Throughout the school year, the longest record's been four days. Eight days and no akuma attacks. It seems... silent... too silent."

"Hawkmoth hasn't gotten the heroes Miraculouses, and our heroes have not fallen." Alya stated.

"What could he be doing?" Adrien asked.

"I don't know, and that's what scares me." Marinette said

"Honestly, Marinette, you seem paranoid." Mrs. Mendeleiev said. "Why are you even worried about an akuma attack? You're just a mere student. As long as Ladybug and Cat Noir can stop them, you have no reason to be a scaredy cat." The bell rang. "Don't forget about your homework packet, pages seven through nine!" Mrs. Mendeleiev reminded students as they left the classroom.

 _If only she knew I was Ladybug._ Marinette thought.

Marinette always disliked Mrs. Mendeleiev (along with several other students), but now she actually started to hate her. She felt like she had been insulted.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Alya asked.

"It feels like she insulted me back there." Marinette answered with gritted teeth.

"Don't let her words get to you. You're no mere student, and you can be really brave." Alya said.

"Thanks Alya." Marinette said.

"I'll let you copy down my notes during lunch break." she said. "Don't worry girl, I got your back."

Marinette smiled. She was lucky to have a friend like her.


	4. Meeting With the Master

Because Plagg was forbidden to say cheese, he tried not to think about it too much, despite the gnawing hunger in his stomach. He tried to instead focus his attention on the conversations in the classroom.

"I can't help but think that something really bad is about to happen." Marinette had said.

Plagg remembered feeling some kind of bad vibration, but he didn't know what it was. How could he tell Adrien about this if he didn't have a clue what was going on? Soon the day was over, and each Miraculous holder went back to their house.

Lila had agreed to teach Leah more Italian. She wasn't the best teacher, but she could certainly help her learn the language better than if she had studied on her own. Leah was about 10 years old, five years younger than Nino.

"Alright, you already know the basics of Italian. Hello, goodbye, and a few other phrases. Now we're going to get to conjugation of Italian verbs." she said. Lila grabbed some white chalk and wrote on the chalkboard. "This is avere, which means to have. And this is essere, to be. Your written quiz over the Italian alphabet is tomorrow, so I hope you're studying." Lila said.

Meanwhile, Marinette found a letter on her desk at the same Adrien found a letter on his bench. They had their respective names on it, and both read, Confidential mail. They picked up their letters and read them both at the same time.

"Dear Ladybug/Chat Noir, I hate to trouble you with bad news, but we've got big big trouble. My kwami, Wayzz, has told me that last night, two Miraculouses had fallen into the hands of evil forces." they read in unison.

"I have also recently discovered that my Miraculous chest is nowhere to be found. Without it in my possession, I have failed in my job as the Great Guardian." Marinette read." Marinette continued.

"Therefore, I need you to transform into your superhero self and meet with your partner in my parlor. In case you don't know where I live, my address is the Temple VI Paris Apartments, 3rd Arrondissement, 75003, Paris, France. More specifically, the 3rd floor in room 12 in the east area of the building." Adrien read.

"I am no enemy. I only wish to aid you in your mission to defeat Hawkmoth."

"Come here at 4:00. Be sure to transform before you arrive. Please come."

"The future of this city..."

"And who knows what else..."

"Is at stake. Signed Ling Xi Fu (or Master Fu)." they finished in unison.

Marinette looked at Tikki.

"We must go to this meeting." the pink kwami said.

"I know. Something bad has happened and we need to find out what." Marinette said. She looked at the computer. The clock read 3:45. "We better move. Tikki, spots on!" she exclaimed.

She transformed into Ladybug. Meanwhile, Adrien looked at Plagg, skeptical about the note.

"I don't know anything about this guy. This sounds like a trap." Adrien said.

"This isn't the case, Adrien. Trust me on this." Plagg said.

"Alright. Plagg, claws out!" Adrien exclaimed.

He transformed into Cat Noir and left for the apartment complex. Ladybug had easily found the building, as she had been there twice before. She just hoped that not too many people would notice her. She went inside and sprinted up the steps. She stopped and looked at the first room on her left. #34. Vincent Aza had been sleeping with his door wide open. Why, she had no idea. She walked on past his room and continued walking towards Master Fu's massage shop, the place where he worked and lived. Cat Noir arrived in front of his apartment at the same time Ladybug did.

"Cat Noir." she said. "Did you get the letter from Master Fu?"

"Of course, my lady." he answered. "At first I thought it was a trap until my kwami told me otherwise."

"Well we better see what he has to say to us." Ladybug said.

She knocked on the door three times. Master Fu opened the door and let them in.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir. You are a sight for sore eyes. There is trouble brewing." Master Fu said to them.

Cat Noir closed the door. He asked, "What's going on?"

"Last night, two Miraculouses have gotten into the hands of evil. I had failed to realize it, but yesterday morning, someone broke into my apartment and stole the Miraculous chest. I have failed in my duty as the Great Guardian." he answered.

"The Great Guardian?" Cat Noir asked.

"You wouldn't know this, but during my last meeting with Master Fu, he told me that throughout the ages there is always a guardian of the Miraculouses. He or she chooses who is worthy to wield a Miraculous and keeps the precious jewels of power safe when they are not in use. Usually the position of Great Guardian switches hands every few decades, but I can imagine that Master Fu has been the Great Guardian for several decades now." Ladybug answered.

"I've been the Great Guardian since I was 37. I'm now 186 years old. I've held this position for 149 years now." Master Fu said.

"I'm guessing you're a Miraculous wielder as well?" Cat Noir asked.

He held up his right wrist, showing a turtle bracelet on it.

"I've been the holder of the Turtle Miraculous for several decades." he answered. "Unfortunately, due to my very old age, I can't transform without suffering excruciating pain in my spine. Because I can not take on Hawkmoth alone like this, I gave you two your Miraculouses so that he could be stopped."

"Master, do you know which Miraculouses remained in the chest when it was stolen?" Ladybug asked.

"Partially. There were two of seven left." he answered. "I remember for certain that one of them was the Bee Miraculous, but I can't remember what the other one was. My memory is failing me."

"You said there were seven Miraculouses. What are those seven?" Cat Noir asked.

"Well, we've got the Ladybug and Cat, the Turtle, Moth, Bee, Fox and Peacock Miraculouses. You two have the Ladybug and Cat, I've got the Turtle, Hawlmoth has the Moth, somebody else who's evil has the Bee, and I'm not sure where exactly the Fox and the Peacock, but one of those two is also in the hands of evil." Master Fu answered.

"Hawkmoth has been awfully quiet lately. Too quiet if you ask me." Ladybug said. "Do you think he's the one who stole the Miraculous chest?"

"Most likely." Cat Noir answered. "Who else could it be?"

"There hasn't been an akuma attack in eight days." Master Fu mentioned. "I wonder if Hawkmoth is trying to find a way to increase his power."

"I think he's given the two Miraculouses to two unworthy wielders." Ladybug said.

"You're probably right." a voice said.

"Who said that?" Ladybug asked.

"That would be me." a green kwami said. "I'm Wayzz, the Turtle Kwami."

"So, you transform Master Fu?" Cat Noir answered.

"I would if it was easier for him to transform." Wayzz answered. "I've been listening in on your whole conversation. If only we could determine the other Miraculous that has fallen into evil hands."

"That would make things too easy, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that nothing is ever really easy." Ladybug said.

"Did Tikki tell you that?" Wayzz asked.

"No, I learned that on my own." Ladybug answered. "Wait, how do you know who Tikki is?"

"Every kwami has interacted with every other kwami at least once. For instance, Tikki and Plagg are actually very good friends. Whereas I never got along with Hunni, but now I feel bad for her." Wayzz answered.

"What Miraculous is she connected to?" Cat Noir asked.

"The Bee Miraculous. She's stuck with an evil master." Wayzz answered. "I hope she's ok..."


	5. The Flight of the Queen Bee

Meanwhile in Chloe's room at Le Grand Paris Hotel, she was speaking with her kwami. She had her comb in a more secure position in her hair, but she also decided to keep the black headband.

"So remind me, what are my powers again?" she asked.

Hanni answered, "You're the Bee Miraculous wielder. You have the ability to repair and rebuild items. It's called Benevolence and you can use it up to five times before you ran out power and detransform in five minutes. You also have the ability of poison sting from your weapon, but that can only be used once. Then you have five minutes before you transform back into your civilian self."

"Alright. Seems simple enough." Chloe said. "If Queen Bee has the power of Benevolence, what about using Malevolence for destruction?"

"But Mistress, Miraculouses aren't supposed to be used for dark purposes!" Hunni exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter! You're under my command, and you must do as I say!" Chloe said. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mistress." she answered, bowing her head in sorrow.

"Good. Now be silent while I make a phone call." she said. She pulled out her phone and called the local florist. "Hello, I need a dozen roses. Red roses. Deliver it to Le Grand Paris Hotel and bill it to Mr. Bourgeois. Thank you and goodbye." Chloe hung up. "Alright, while that's being handled, I'd say it's time for me to start learning how to use my powers. Hunni, stripes on!"

Chloe transformed into Queen Bee and went to a forest on the outskirts of Paris. She summoned her staff and pondered where to begin.

"Let's see, what shall my first target be?" Queen Bee asked herself.

She looked around her and saw several trees and animals in the forest.

"Malevolence!" she exclaimed. Black energy surrounded her staff. She projected it outward at a random tree. The tree fell over causing several birds to fly away. "Malevolence!" she summoned her power again. She pointed her staff at thorn bush. It shriveled up and appeared dead. Queen Bee held her staff and touched the end of it to the ground. Suddenly she felt a vibration. She saw a black and yellow communicator on her belt. She picked it up and answered it.

"Hello there, Queen Bee. I see you've started training." he said.

"Well there's no time like the present to learn." she said. "I may be a rookie, but I'm not going to let that stop me from fulfilling your orders."

"I can see the chaos you cause from my lair. Now try using your power on something stronger." Hawkmoth suggested.

"There's not very much in the forest aside from all these plants and animals." Queen Bee responded.

"What about that transmission tower?" he asked.

"Perfect." she said.

"I'll see how your partner is doing." Hawkmoth said, hanging up.

Queen Bee ran close to the gate surrounding the tower. She looked at the sign that said, "Danger! High Voltage!"

"High voltage huh? Well, we'll see which is more shocking. Malevolence!" she exclaimed.

She fired the black energy at the transmission tower. The tower stopped working. Several power lines snapped. When used in the right way, Malevolence could cause a lot of damage. It wasn't as powerful as Cat Noir's Cataclysm power, but it was still very effective. She got out her communicator and browsed the internet. She clicked on a video.

"Strange occurrences outside of Paris city limits have been occurring for the last half hour.. Despite the fact that there was no storm, a tree was mysteriously knocked down and now nearly one-fourth of Paris is without power. In related news, Hawkmoth's been quiet lately. Is this all coincidence?" Nadja Chamack asked. "I think not."

Queen Bee closed out of the internet. So Paris was aware something strange was going on, but they didn't know who Queen Bee was. She walked to a pond and looked at her reflection in it. She then remembered that she had wings. So she had two different powers and she could fly.

 _Hey Hunni, I believe I have wings on my back. They're not just for show right? I can fly?_ she asked Hunni.

 _Oh yes, the ability of flight. Learning to fly can be tricky. You need to really feel your wings and let them lift you upwards._ she answered.

Queen Bee did as Hunni instructed. She managed to lift herself off the ground a few feet. She hovered over the pond, bent down and touched the water with her hand and then fell into the pond. She was soaked head to toe.

 _Darn it! Now I'm all wet!_ Queen Bee thought.

 _That wasn't very bad for your first time using your wings. Most people don't even make it off the ground._ Hunni said. _It takes practice to be able to fly ._

Queen Bee got out of the pond and continued practicing flying for about half an hour. She had managed to fly about 30 feet into the air, rising to the very top branch of the tallest tree she could find. She had to admit that the view was pretty nice.

"Poison sting!" she exclaimed. Her staff glowed with purple energy. She fired it at a deer, and the deer fell to the ground. The creature moaned in pain. The deer was sick, injured or perhaps both. Queen Bee flew down to the ground and one of the black spots blinked away. She had four minutes before detransforming. She went into an alleyway before detransforming back into Chloe. Hunni flew up and Chloe caught her kwami in her hands.

"That was rough." Hunni said. "I've never seen someone work that hard before."

"Come on. We better get back before somebody notices." Chloe said.

Afterward, she went back home and found a vase of a dozen red roses in her room.

"Perfect! These will do nicely." the blond haired girl said.

She plucked a few rose petals off and gave them to Hunni, who eagerly started nibbling on them. She treated Hunni in a way similiar to how she treated Sabrina; a friend yet a slave. Chloe thought to herself, _Soon Paris will know my name and they will fear me._


	6. The Masked Woman

Ladybug and Cat Noir had finished their meeting. Suddenly, screams could be heard from every direction.

"What was that?" Cat Noir asked.

"Whatever it was, it can't be good." Ladybug said.

They ran across rooftops to find the source of the cries. At the Champs Elysee, several different people were causing chaos. There was a blue-dressed princess kicking down an innocent civilian, a huntsman shooting arrows everywhere, and a sea witch using water to destroy buildings and smirking as they crumbled. There were several others causing mayhem.

"Oh no... My worst nightmare appears to have come true..." Ladybug murmured. "Hawkmoth can akumatize multiple villains."

Cat Noir saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Look a little closer." he said, pointing to a figure near the Arc de Triomphe.

Ladybug looked at a woman with a book in her hand. She wore a long white dress with red heels and had a white mask over her eyes. She wore blue elbow-length gloves and had a large white satchel she wore over her dress. She caused the book to glow blue, then a blue column of light was released. From that blue light, emerged a young preteen girl with blond girl. She wore a blue dress and a light blue bonnet.

The woman spoke, "Goldilocks, take this sword, find Ladybug and Cat Noir, and bring their Miraculouses to me!" Goldilocks ran off with her weapon in hand. The two looked closer at the characters down below. The princess was Cinderella, the Huntsmen was the one who hunted down Snow White, and the Sea Witch was the woman who stole the little mermaid's voice.

"She can summon fairytale characters and bring them to life." Cat Noir said.

"Then we have to stop her immediately." Ladybug said.

They jumped down. The woman spoke, "So you managed to evade my literary friends I see. Very clever."

"Who are you and why are you doing this?!" Cat Noir asked.

The woman laughed. "The name's Bookworm, and I have my reasons." she answered. A purple light mask formed around her eyes.

"Stop stalling, Bookworm! Get their Miraculouses!" he ordered.

She released a column of light and summoned three bears, one of which was quite small. "Attack!"

The two backflipped trying to dodge the three bears. They were outnumbered, and the Bookworm could summon even more characters to her will.

"What do we do now?" Cat Noir asked.

"That white satchel must be where she keeps her books. If we can get her books away from her, we can stop her from summoning more characters to help her." Ladybug answered. "Steal the satchel from her while I battle the literary army."

"Got any idea where the akuma is?" he asked.

"Not sure, but we'll find it eventually." she answered. She ran forward, yelling, "If you want me, come and get me!"

Ladybug dodged Goldilocks's sword attacks, but was blasted by a ball of water from the Sea Witch. She then swung her yoyo round to block the Huntsman's arrows. The three bears had scratched Ladybug, knocking her into a wall. Ladybug knew she had more durability and pain tolerance while transformed, but she didn't know how much she could take. She knew she was not invincible. The Huntsman pinned down Ladybug by putting his right foot to her stomach. The Sea Witch crouched down and prepared to take her earrings, but she punched the Sea Witch in the face. She used her yoyo to lasso her and throw her towards the Huntsman, knocking both of them down to the ground. Ladybug got up and swiftly dodged the sword attacks. Cat Noir ran to her side and started dueling Goldilocks.

"I got the satchel, but oh, she is furious!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

"Let me see those books." Ladybug ordered.

The red and black dressed heroine opened the satchel. There were 4 books in there. The Little Mermaid, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, and Snow White. Ladybug destroyed all four books ripping out the pages, but no akuma ever appeared.

"Where's the akuma?" she asked.

"I wish I knew." Cat Noir answered.

Suddenly a loud howl could be heard. A pack of wolves had found them. One of those wolves had black fur and was bigger than the others. He had deep blue eyes and both of them knew that they were in front of the Big Bad Wolf.

"Oh crud." Cat Noir muttered.

Bookworm, who was levitating in the air, floated above the wolves.

"Well, well, well, backed into a corner I see." The heroes turned around. They were surrounded. "At this point you have two choices; you can surrender your Miraculouses now before someone gets hurt, or you can die at the hands of the Big Bad Wolf and his army." Bookworm said.

The Big Bad Wolf growled. Cat Noir looked extremely scared and Ladybug was also worried. They had no idea where the akuma was or how to stop her.

"Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked.

"Yes, my lady?" he asked.

"Cover me." she ordered. "Lucky charm!"

She threw her yoyo into the air, summoning her lucky charm power. She conjured a watch.

"A silver watch? What do I do with this?" Ladybug asked.

"Wrong choice, Ladybug. Get them!" she ordered.

The wolves charged towards them. Cat Noir spun his staff to protect himself and Ladybug.

"Got any ideas, my lady?' he asked.

She looked around and saw the Bookworm's necklace was golden with a diamond on it. She saw a big mirror nearby that was slowly being moved. She then looked at the watch. She held the watch up the sky, reflecting light onto the necklace, which in turn reflected it onto the mirror and reflected it back to the wolves. The pack was blinded and Bookworm's hands glowed blue. Ladybug used her yoyo to swing over to Bookworm, grabbed her necklace and smashed it to pieces. The akuma was released and flew out of the necklace.

"No more evil doing for you, evil akuma." Ladybug said, activating her yoyo. "Time to de-evilize!" She caught the akuma. "Gotcha!" She released the now harmless butterfly. "Bye bye little butterfly!"

Meanwhile, Volpina, who had been watching the fight from afar, spoke to Hawkmoth with a orange and white communicator.

"Confront them, Volpina. Take their jewels." Hawkmoth ordered.

"Right away." she said.

She jumped down from the building as everything returned to normal. Then Bookworm turned back into Caline Bustier.

 _Mrs. Bustier?_ Ladybug asked herself.

 _How did my Language and Literature teacher end up akumatized?_ Cat Noir mentally asked.

"What the?" she asked. "What am I doing here?"

"Pound it!" Cat Noir and Ladybug said in unison.

"This almost seems too easy..." Ladybug said.

The teacher got up and left. "Come on, we defeated a tough akumatized baddie. You should scram unless you want me to know who you are." Cat Noir said.

"Wouldn't that be nice to know?" Volpina asked.

They turned around and saw her. Ladybug gasped as one the dots on her earring disappeared.

"Volpina?" she asked. "But we defeated you!"

"This must be a trick. A mere illusion sent out by Hawkmoth to scare us!" Cat Noir exclaimed. He extended his staff and knocked her down. Ladybug and Cat Noir gasped. The genuine fox smirked.

"This is not an illusion." she said, getting up from the ground.


	7. More Than Just a Few Tricks

Author's Notes:

-I will not tolerate spam comments in the review section! It's really irritating!

Ladybug was shocked beyond belief. That was not what she had been expecting. What was worse was that she only had three minutes before she detransformed back to her civilian self.

"I've got this one my lady." Cat Noir said. He split his staff into two as Ladybug ran off. She detransformed in a deserted alley. Marinette caught Tikki in her left hand and searched for a cookie. She found one and gave it to her.

"I don't understand. How is Volpina back?" Marinette asked.

Tikki shrugged. "I got no clue." she answered. She continued eating her cookie. She put Tikki into her purse and went back to the scene of battle. Volpina had made five copies of herself. Which one was the real one? Cat Noir was punched in the face by Volpina, he extended his staff and the illusion disappeared.

"Cat Noir, look out!" Marinette said.

He dodged Volpina as she attempted to grab his ring. Then the images of Volpina disappeared. But the real one was gone.

"Where did she go?" Cat Noir asked.

"If I knew, I'd tell you." Marinette answered.

Meanwhile Volpina detransformed back into Lila. The girl caught Trixx in her hands.

"This finite amount of illusions isn't working out. We need a new plan." Lila said to her kwami.

"You do have other powers aside from illusions." Trixx said.

"I do?" she asked.

"Get me some red hot peppers and I'll tell you." Trixx demanded.

"Fine. I think I've got a few euros in my pocket." Lila said.

Trixx hid herself in Lila's bag. The young girl walked around a nearby market place. She saw various stands with oranges, apples and bouquets of flowers. She eventually saw a stand with various colors of peppers.

"Hello there. How may I help you?" the vendor asked.

"I need three of your hottest, spiciest peppers." Lila answered.

"I got just what you need." the vendor said.

He got out a bag with three huge red peppers.

"That's perfect. How much?" Lila asked.

"Eight euros." he answered.

"Really? What a steal." Lila said. "I'll take it."

She handed the vendor the money and took her merchandise. She went back to her room, and she cut one of the peppers into thin slices. Trixx began eating the slices of pepper.

"Ok. You have physical capabilities as well as your illusions. You have the ability of shooting orange colored beams at your foes. You can use five of them before the countdown to detransformation begins."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Lila answered.

"Because your boss underestimates the abilities of the Fox Miraculous." she answered.

"His name is Hawkmoth." Lila said.

"He wields the Moth Miraculous. I bet you that his kwami, Nooroo, doesn't want to help him." she said.

"You don't want to help me either." Lila retorted.

"I've been with good and bad people over several centuries. I'm used to it by now." Trixx confessed. "Foxes can be good or evil."

"Well here's a news flash for you; I'm evil." Lila stated.

"Isn't that obvious?" Trixx asked.

Suddenly Trixx started vibrating. "Hello? Lila, can you hear me?" Hawkmoth asked.

Lila put Trixx to her ear as if she was a cellphone. "Yes, Hawkmoth, I can hear you loud and clear." she answered.

"I think I have an idea on how you can use your powers without running out of steam too quickly." he said. "What if you used your powers to aid the akumatized villain?"

"That should work." Lila said. "How's Queen Bee doing with her training?"

"She's got a handle on using Malevolence, but has yet to master the art of flight." Hawkmoth answered.

"All have our challenges." she said.

"That is true unfortunately." Hawkmoth said.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door.

"I gotta put you on hold." Lila said. She put Trixx under her pillow. "Come in."

Nino walked in. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Almost. Could you give me a few more minutes?" Lila asked. "I'll join you in the living room when I'm ready."

"Alright." Nino said. "Just don't dilly-dally. Leah's getting anxious."

Nino shut the door and walked away. Lila picked up Trixx and resumed her conversation with Hawkmoth.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"It's nothing. My host family will soon be going out to dinner." she answered.

"Host family?" Hawkmoth asked.

"I'm a foreign exchange student from Italy. More specifically, Rome." Lila answered.

"Lila, hurry up!" Mrs. Lahiffe exclaimed.

"I gotta go. I'll talk to you later about strategy." Lila said.

She hung up. She got her white purse, told Trixx to get in it, and walked out. When she had first come here over a week ago, she didn't see herself as a Miraculous holder working for Hawkmoth.

 _Now I have the Fox Miraculous, and pretty soon, Ladybug will meet her end._ Lila thought.


	8. The Master's Decision

Meanwhile at the Agreste Mansion in Adrien's room, Plagg was not very pleased. The black cat kwami looked at the peppers. "Do I have to eat this?" he asked.

"You said you were hungry so chow down." Adrien answered.

Plagg sighed and started eating the peppers. He gasped for air. The spice from the peppers burned his mouth.

"This burns!" he screamed.

"You wanna admit I'm right?" Adrien asked.

"No, but can you get me something to cool this down with?!" Plagg asked.

"Fine." Adrien said.

He poured a glass of milk and Plagg dived right in, drinking it. He sighed in relief. The spiciness of the peppers had disappeared.

"How much longer does this bet last?" he asked, getting out of the glass.

"Til the end of the day, or when I go to bed." Adrien answered.

"So that's..." Plagg looked at the clock. It read 5:30. "At least four more hours..."

"Look on the bright side, Plagg. You're becoming more alert and aware of your surroundings." Adrien said.

Marinette nervously paced around her room.

"Do you really think everything will be okay?" she asked.

"Everything will be fine." Tikki assured her. "What's wrong?

"I'm worried about Master Fu. He's been guardian for a long time, and well... how long does training to become the Great Guardian last?" she asked.

"Normally it can be anywhere from one year to five years to learn all the responsibilities of being the Great Guardian." Tikki answered. "The shortest amount of time anyone has ever done it was in six months. The feat was accomplished by a woman named Sara Edmondson, a previous wielder of the Fox Miraculous. This was in the year of 1867."

"How do you know this?" Marinette asked.

"Because I've spoken with Trixx, the Fox Kwami, since then." Tikki answered. "I wish I knew where she was..." Tikki looked out the window. "She's either with an evil master or she's dormant. I don't know which one it is..."

"I'm scared." Marinette said. "What if something happens?"

"Don't be. Everything will be fine." Tikki said.

She tried to smile at these words. Meanwhile, Queen Bee, Volpina and Hawkmoth were speaking to each other via their communicators.

"Are you sure Volpina's got what it takes for this?" Queen Bee asked.

"Yes, I do. I'm the one with more experience." Volpina answered.

"You failed to get the Miraculouses." the blond haired supervillain remarked.

"That's because my plan was half-baked. We just need a new approach. A new tactic." the fox said.

"Girls, don't argue." Hawkmoth said. "Volpina's right. We need another approach to this whole situation. I want both of you to keep in touch with each other in your civilian forms, so exchange numbers as soon as possible."

"Yes, Hawkmoth." they said in unison.

They all went their separate ways. Hawkmoth stood in his lair. He went over to the hexagonal trapdoor and descended down the latter into his apartment. If you could call it that. He considered it the first part of his secret lair. He lit an oil lamp with a match and the room could be seen. The apartment had no windows, for he did not want to seen by anyone. It did have electricity (run by it's own power source), a kitchen, bathroom, living room with a couch and television set, and a one person bedroom. He looked at the door. Even though no one knew his lair was located within the Notre Dame, he always kept the door locked. He looked over at the photos on a desk. One of them was Gabriel Agreste, another one was Gabriel's wife, Terra Agreste, and another one was of himself and Gabriel when they were younger.

"Nooroo, darkwings. Descend." he said.

Hawkmoth detransformed into his civilian self, opened the door and went down a long set of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, he stood in a dark area with only the light from the outside coming in. He looked through a piece of tinted glass to make sure no one was around. He moved a painting to the left, covering the entrance to his lair and stepped out. He put the painting back in it's place and left the building for the first time in months.

Meanwhile, Master Fu was in his room. He and his kwami, Wayzz, were drinking tea.

"Do you think that choosing Ladybug was the right idea?" Wayzz asked.

Master Fu smiled. "Well, my options were limited." he answered. "But I believe I made the right decision."


	9. Art Through Adversity

Marinette was not having a very good night. She stood in a purple and black misty area. She was all alone, and she had been transformed into Ladybug.

"Give in now, little bug. Before someone gets hurt." a voice said.

"Hawkmoth." Ladybug said.

"Your luck will run out, and then you'll have no choice but to give us your precious Miraculous!" he exclaimed.

"No, no... You're just in my head! You're not really here!" she exclaimed.

"Oh really?" he asked.

Hawkmoth appeared right in front of her.

"This has to be another trick." Ladybug said.

"Oh, you think I'm just an illusion. Can a mere illusion do this?" he asked.

He kicked Ladybug to the ground and pinned her down with his cane.

"It's over, Ladybug. This is where your luck runs out!" Hawkmoth exclaimed.

He reached for her earrings. "No, no... NO!" she screamed.

She woke up, gasping for air. It was 4:30 in the morning.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Tikki asked.

"I had another nightmare." she answered.

"Was it the one where Adrien falls in love with Chloe?" the pink kwami asked.

"No. Hawkmoth had nearly stolen my Miraculous." Marinette answered.

Later that morning, Ms. Mendeleiev was not very happy.

"Well class, we were supposed to be taking a test today, but unfortunately, due to the printer malfunctioning, I was unable to print out all the tests. So today, we will be getting an early start on the next unit." she said.

Nathaniel softly groaned. He got out his paper and started writing down notes from the PowerPoint Presentation. He so didn't want to do this, but he knew how it was; if he didn't get the notes, he couldn't do the homework or assignments, and if he doesn't do those correctly, he'd fail the test. He'd rather continue his newest sketch. _Wait. Wasn't it my artistic endeavors that got me into this situation in the first place?_ he asked himself. He remembered seeing the results on the report card for the 3rd quarter of his 9th grade year.

"What?! An F?!" he asked. "In Chemistry?!"

He was lucky that nobody could hear him, but how was he supposed to tell his parents the bad news? The rest of his grades were fine, but chemistry was very bad. He had tried to stay silent about it. Instead of giving his report card to his parents, he instead drew a picture of himself on the back of the paper and hung it on his wall. The picture was of himself and his two sides; one half being his normal self and the other half being his akumatized form, Evillustrator. Despite the fact that he had some bad memories from his time as an akumatized villain, he still had all those pictures of him in his Evillustrator form. He thought he could get away with his lie and improve his grade before the semester ended. Unfortunately, he was terribly wrong. Somehow, his older brother found his sketch report card and showed it to his parents. He recalled his parents finding out the truth. Nathaniel was in his room, and he had just finished his math homework.

"Nathaniel, mother and father want to talk to you." his older brother said.

"I'm coming." he said.

Pierre, his older brother, told him that their mom and dad were in the room. Nathan went to the living room.

"Mom, Dad? You wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

"Yes. About your chemistry grade." Mr. Kurtzberg answered.

"Why... why would you lie to us?" Mrs. Kurtzberg asked.

"I...I didn't lie." he said.

"You told us you had a D in that class. A D is not very satisfying but it means you're passing the class. You are failing." Mr. Kurtzberg said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Your brother found this sketch." his father answered, showing him the picture. "Look on the back of it." He turned it over to the other side.

"My report card?" he asked. He turned to Pierre. "How did you find that?!"

"That doesn't matter." Pierre answered. "But you are in a lot of trouble, young man."

Nathaniel gulped. He took the report card. "Look, I know my chemistry grade is bad. If you give me time, I'll make this right!" he responded.

"You should be grounded. Not only did you fail one of your classes, you lied to us!" Mr. Kurtzberg shouted.

"Don't be too hard on him. He's trying his best. Maybe we should get him a tutor." Mrs. Kurtzberg said.

"We can't avoid a tutor with our current financial situations!" he exclaimed.

"I know that! But what choice do we have?!" she asked, tears about to fall from her eyes.

"You have until the end of this semester to raise your chemistry grade. If you don't get a C or above by the end of year, you will be grounded for the entire summer!" he exclaimed. "Pierre, Nathaniel, leave while I speak to your mother."

They did as they were told. All of this happened only nine days ago, on the last day of the 3rd quarter when Lila arrived. Now things were much worse.

"Nathaniel!" Ms. Mendeleiev yelled.

Nathaniel blinked. It was four minutes until chemistry class was over. "What? Oh man... I stare off into space for one minute and I miss everything." Nathaniel grumbled. He started packing up his stuff.

"It wasn't just a minute." Juleka said.

"How long was it?" he asked.

"Five minutes and 38 seconds." Max answered. "I timed it from the moment you lied your pencil down."

"Oh crud..." he muttered.

"Nathan, are you okay?" Marinette asked.

"I'm fine." he lied.

"Really?" she asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." he answered. "Chloe will just mock me and then I'll be akumatized again."

"Is that even possible?" Kim asked.

"Yes, Kim. Poor Delia's been akumatized twice by different akumas." Nathan answered.

"It's Lila." she corrected.

"You get the point I'm trying to make. Chloe says or does something then... BAM! I'm the Evillustrator again." he stated.

"I thought that, assuming Ladybug purified the akuma, that one couldn't be akumatized again." Mylene said.

"Think again, Mylene. Lila is living proof that re-akumatizion is possible." Nathaniel said. "I'm not saying anything to anybody."

"But if you don't say anything, Hawkmoth could still get to you." Rose said.

"So I'm doomed either way?" he asked.

"Pretty much." Lila answered.

"Gee thanks guys." he sarcastically remarked. "That's very reassuring."

The bell rung and Nathaniel walked out, sulking. Marinette followed him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Everything's gone wrong. It's like I'm stuck in a nightmare and I can't wake up." he answered.

"What's the problem? You can tell me anything." she said.

Nathaniel explained to Marinette how his parents (mainly his dad) were going to ground him if he didn't get his chemistry grade to a C or higher, his brother Pierre mocking and teasing him.

"Oh that's so awful." Marinette said.

"Oh wait, there's more." he said. "My parent's marriage is beginning to fall apart. Mom and Dad are getting into several arguments, most of them being about me somehow. I can't help but feel that if I fail, my parents will get divorced and my family will fall apart."

"It's not your fault." she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It feels like the blame falls on my shoulders."

She shrugged. "Look, I know you don't want to be akumatized again, so if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you." Marinette said.

"Thanks Marinette. You're a really good friend." he said.

The bell rung. "Oh no. Now we're late for history class." Marinette said.

"Who knows? Maybe the teacher will be kind to us." Nathaniel said.

"Maybe." she said.

The two ran off trying to get to their next class.


	10. Beg, Borrow, or Steal

Later that day, Marinette was trying to meditate in her room, but she had trouble clearing her mind.

"Try again, Marinette." Tikki said.

"I feel bad. I'm keeping secrets from Cat Noir." Marinette said.

"It's for the best. Now try again." she instructed.

"What if I can't do it?" Marinette asked.

"You managed to become Ladybug." Tikki reminded her.

Meanwhile, Adrien sat in his bedroom.

"It's been nine days since that book was lost. Where could it possibly be?" Adrien asked.

"Book? What book?" Plagg asked.

"The book on the Miraculouses that I found in my father's safe. I certainly hope he doesn't know that it's missing." Adrien answered.

"Oh that book. How did you even lose it?" the black cat kwami asked.

"I don't know." Adrien said.

Adrien remembered speaking with Lila in the library, seeing her at the park, Ladybug exposing Lila as a liar (for which the latter would be akumatized), and then facing Volpina.

"Maybe I dropped it in the library. The school library's probably closed by now." Adrien said.

"We can't wait that long." Plagg said.

"You're right." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien transformed into Cat Noir and jumped right over to Francoise Dupont. He detransformed and went into the library. Much to his surprise, the doors weren't locked. He searched every self, every nook and cranny of the media center, but he found nothing resembling a book on the Miraculouses.

"Come on, Adrien. We've been here for two hours. Can't we go home?" Plagg asked.

"Fine." he said.

Adrien went back to his room. He felt so exhausted from searching the library.

"I certainly hope it's not in the hands of an evil Miraculous holder." the blond haired model said. "Wait a second..."

He turned into Cat Noir again and called Ladybug. She wasn't answering. So he left a voicemail for her.

"Hey Ladybug. You wouldn't have happened to seen a book on the Miraculouses would you? If you have, please tell me as soon as possible. Call me back, okay?" he said. Then he hung up.

Several hours later, he got a response.

"You have one new voicemail from Ladybug." Plagg said. "It says, 'Yes, I have. I found that book and my kwami told me to give it to Master Fu. It's at his massage parlor and residence. Why do you ask?'"

"We have to get that book back immediately." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Not again..." he said, being sucked into the ring and transforming for the third time that night.

He easily remembered the way back to Master Fu's place. He detransformed and walked in, but Master Fu wasn't there. He looked around for the book. He eventually found it nearby a music player.

"You're really going to steal from a follow Miraculous holder?" Plagg asked.

Adrien looked at the book. He answered, "I don't have a choice. Besides, as long as it's in the hands of a capable Miraculous holder, what's the problem?"

The door burst open. "Adrien? What are you doing with that book?" Master Fu asked.

"Oh, Master Fu. I'm so glad you're here. I was wondering if I could borrow this book on the Miraculouses." the blond haired model answered.

"Certainly, Cat Noir. Although I'm curious as to what you want or need it for." Master Fu said.

"I was hoping that I could borrow it in hopes of finding something that can tell us which of the two missing Miraculouses is in the hands of evil." he lied.

"Alright. If you find out anything, please, tell us." Wayzz said.

"Will do." Adrien said.

He transformed again and went back to his room.

 _Can you detransform now?_ Plagg asked. _I'm starving._

 _Not yet._ Adrien answered. _At the right moment, I'll detransform so you can open the safe. Then I'll put the book back in its place.  
_

Cat Noir held the book in his left hand. He looked to make sure the coast was clear. He saw the clock read 9:10. Nathalie was probably asleep by now and Adrien's chauffeur was out doing errands. He snuck his way into the atrium. It was clear. Cat Noir detransformed. Plagg opened the safe behind the painting and Adrien put back the book. He heard the door open and Adrien hid behind a curtain.

"Hmm. I thought I heard something." Gabriel said to himself. He shrugged it off and left the room.

Adrien and Plagg went back to his room.

"Phew! That was too close." Adrien said.

Plagg started eating a wheel of Camembert cheese. Now that Adrien had the book back where it belonged, he stared off into space.

 _What would my father be doing with that book? And how did he get his hands onto it?_ Adrien asked himself.


	11. Over a Book

Author's Notes:

-Happy Easter! I hope you enjoy this next chapter of La Abeille et Le Renard.

The following day, the heroes, villains and ordinary civilians among them were taking a test in chemistry class. Marinette was not ready, but many others were, including Nathaniel. After Adrien finished his test, he wondered if he did the right thing. Master Fu had no idea that he had never planned on returning the book. He tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine. During lunch break, Lila was very unhappy. She had been exposed for the lair she really was. She had never met Prince Ali, been to Hollywood. Everything she said on her first day at school was false.

"Someday, after I destroy Ladybug, that person is my next target." Lila grumbled under her breath.

Lila went outside the cafeteria and found Chloe there.

"Back already?" she asked.

"Yeah. It doesn't take very long for me to eat lunch." Chloe answered.

"So how's training going?" Lila asked.

"Pretty well actually." she answered. "The boss believes I'm ready to join you at last."

"Oh, that's perfect." Lila said.

Marinette overheard what they said. The boss?

 _What did they mean by the boss?_ Marinette thought. She followed the duo to the front entrance. They both received letters, opened up the envelopes containing them, and read the letters silently to themselves.

"Look's like we're heading back to the Notre Dame." Lila said.

"But at 4pm?" Chloe asked. "Wouldn't our master be caught?"

"I believe he knows what he's doing, Bourgeois." she answered.

She discarded her envelope, and the two left for another area of the school. Marinette took a look in the trashcan. The envelope read,

 _To: Lila Rossi_

 _From: HM_

HM? _What did that mean?_ Marinette asked herself. They also mentioned something about a master. What was happening at the Notre Dame? By the time lunch break was over, they were in music class.

"Where is Ms. Dupont?" Mylene asked.

"Good afternoon, class. Sorry about that. I was caught in a traffic jam." Ms. Dupont said, entering the room. "Anyway, you guys have finished your recorder lessons, so now we're going to move on to a similar instrument; the flute."

She passed out silver flutes to everyone. Lila played a beautiful solo. Marinette scornfully glared at Lila the entire time.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Alya asked.

"I'm fine. Other than the fact that Chloe and Lila are conspiring with the enemy, everything's fine." she said.

"What did you just say?" Chloe asked, looking at Marinette.

"You heard me, Chloe. You and Lila are up to no good! You mentioned something about a master who's expecting to see you two at the Notre Dame at four o'clock. The initials read HM. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're working for Hawkmoth." Marinette said. "You've got nowhere to run, Chloe, so just confess!"

Chloe stuttered. Lila put her right hand up. "Ok, you silly girl. You're jumping into pools of water without even knowing how deep they are. Allow me to explain. For better or worse, me and Chloe are co-workers. Those initials are the first and last name of our boss. His name is Henry Mitchell." Lila answered.

"Henry Mitchell?" Alya asked.

"That's right. He doesn't like to be called by his real name so we just refer to him as the master, and sometimes the boss." Lila continued. "Does that answer your questions, mademoiselle?"

Marinette just sighed and answered, "I guess..."

Later that afternoon, Marinette went back to Master Fu's massage parlor.

"Hey, um, Master, before the next secession begins, I'd like to see the Miraculous book." she said.

"I'm sorry about this, but I no longer have the book." Master Fu said.

"What? Where is it?!" Marinette asked.

"Cat Noir asked if he could borrow the book. I thought he told you this." he answered.

"No... He didn't..." Marinette said.

Ladybug was not very happy with Cat Noir. He just took a book of priceless information from Master Fu. While on patrol, she spoke to him on that very subject matter.

"You stole the Miraculous book. Why?" Ladybug asked.

"My lady, I never stole anything." Cat Noir said, defending himself. "I asked Ling if I could borrow it."

"What do you even need with that book?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern!" he exclaimed.

"Yes it is!" Ladybug retorted. "You never told him that you weren't planning on returning it!"

"So what? He'll never find out. He doesn't even need to know." Cat Noir remarked.

"Why not?! Do you not trust him?" Ladybug asked. "You said you thought the man's invitation was a trap until a certain black cat told you otherwise."

"What? No, it's not like that!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

"How can I believe you?" she asked. "Xu Ling has been nothing but helpful to us!"

"It seems like he's hiding something from us! And he failed in his duty as guardian! How can we trust him?" he asked.

"You stupid alley cat!" Ladybug snapped. "Ya know what, I don't need you. If you're going to just going to be a pain, then you should just leave."

"Fine! I'll stop those akumas myself!" Cat Noir yelled.

"Good luck with that." Ladybug said. "You're gonna need it." She swung away on her yoyo.

"Wait, Ladybug!" he exclaimed. He sighed and used his staff to get back to his house. "Oh, Plagg, what have I done?"


	12. United We Stand

Alya could not believe this. Ladybug and Cat Noir were arguing! She didn't catch everything on video, but it was enough to tell that they were mad about something. She quickly uploaded it to the Ladyblog. The video was titled, _The End of the Superhero Duo?_ The video was soon spread on multiple websites and it was reported on the TVi news.

Nadja Chamack stated, "Our top news story tonight; the end of the superhero duo. Amateur footage, which has been posted on the Ladyblog and numerous other websites, shows Ladybug and Cat Noir arguing on the rooftops of Paris."

The camera showed the footage recorded by Alya.

"That's none of your concern!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

"Yes it is!" Ladybug retorted. "You never told him that you weren't planning on returning it!"

"So what? He'll never find out. He doesn't even need to know." Cat Noir remarked.

"Why not?! Do you not trust him?" Ladybug asked. "You said you thought the man's invitation was a trap until a certain black cat told you otherwise."

"What? No, it's not like that!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

"How can I believe you?" she asked. "Xu Ling has been nothing but helpful to us!"

"It seems like he's hiding something from us! And he failed in his duty as guardian! How can we trust him?" he asked.

"You stupid alley cat!" Ladybug snapped. "Ya know what, I don't need you. If you're going to just going to be a pain, then you should just leave."

"Fine! I'll stop those akumas myself!" Cat Noir yelled.

"Good luck with that. You're gonna need it." She said, before she swung away on her yoyo.

"Wait, Ladybug!" he exclaimed. Cat Noir ran off.

The screen turned back to Nadja Chamack.

"And there you have it. It's hard to tell what they were arguing about, but it worries us nonetheless." Mrs. Chamack said. "How will our heroes protect the city when they're divided against themselves?"

"Oh no..." Sabine Cheng whispered. "This is terrible."

"What is it?" Marinette and her father, Tom Dupain, asked in unison.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't working together anymore." Sabine answered.

Marinette frowned and Tom gasped.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"I don't know. Even with the footage, it's hard to tell what they were arguing about." she answered.

Later that evening, Chloe and Lila were at the Trocadero discussing the contents of the video they saw on the Ladyblog.

"I think the boss will want to see this." Lila said.

"Wouldn't he already be aware?" Chloe asked.

"He doesn't get out very much." Lila said. "If we knew where his lair was located, we'd go there, but, we don't know." They looked around. "The coast is clear."

"Hunni, stripes on!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Trixx, ears up!" Lila said.

They transformed into Queen Bee and Volpina, and then went to a rooftop. Volpina started to call Hawkmoth. Queen Bee got out her communicator and started looking for the video.

"Hello there, Volpina." Hawkmoth greeted.

"Good evening, Hawkmoth. We have some good news to share with you." Volpina said. "Ladybug and Cat Noir have split up."

"They're fighting? It sounds too good to be true." he said.

"It's true alright. Look at this video." Queen Bee said.

She played the video and Hawkmoth smirked.

"This is perfect. With Queen Bee ready to join the fight and Ladybug and Cat Noir divided, taking their Miraculouses will be child's play!" Hawkmoth said in delight.

"Their patrol has already ended, so finding them might be difficult." Volpina said.

"Hmm... how about we attack different parts of the city at the same time to try and lure them out of hiding?" Queen Bee asked.

"That should work perfectly." Hawkmoth agreed. "Go forth and lure out Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

"Right away." they said in unison.

He hung up. "I'll get Ladybug." Volpina said.

"And I'll take the Cat." Queen Bee said.

The two supervillains split up. Volpina knew exactly what she was going to do. She played her flute and created an illusion of the Arc de Triomphe crumbling into pieces. Civilians ran away as the ground shook.

"I know you're hiding here somewhere, Ladybug! If you don't surrender your Miraculous to me, this city will crumble to the ground!" Volpina exclaimed. "So come and face me!"

She continued creating illusions of earthquakes. Meanwhile, Queen Bee stood on the rooftop. She summoned black energy around her staff. She looked around trying to figure out what could cause the most damage. She didn't attack the Hotel de Ville (or City Hall) because her father worked there, so she moved on. She went to the Louvre and pointed her staff at a random building.

"Malevolence!" she exclaimed.

The building crumbled to the ground. The civilians gasped.

"The sound of their screams is music to my ears." Queen Bee said. "Where are you hiding Cat Noir? Won't kitty come out to play? Or is Cat Noir just a scaredy cat?" She laughed. "Come out to play, kitty-kitty!"

Meanwhile, Marinette was in her room meditating.

"I can feel the energy of the universe." Marinette said.

"Very good." the pink kwami said.

Suddenly a scream was heard.

"That can't be good." Marinette said.

She saw Volpina jumping up to a rooftop and firing an orange beam at a fountain, destroying it. Or was that an illusion?

"We better move. She's an akumatized villain, so only you can stop her." Tikki said.

"You're right." Marinette stated. "Tikki, spots on!"

Meanwhile, Adrien was looking at the painting of him and his parents.

"I have no family... I have no love..." he said. "Could this get any worse?"

He saw a beam of black energy fade away. He ran down the steps and towards the window and saw Queen Bee.

"What the? Who is she?! Who does she think she is?!" Adrien asked. He ran up to his room. "Plagg, claws out!"


	13. And Divided They Fall

Ladybug quickly arrived at the Arc de Triomphe.

"Leave them alone, Volpina!" she screamed. "And stop trying to trick the Parisians with your evil illusions!"

"It's about time you showed up." Volpina responded. "Considering that you ran away last time, I thought you'd be too chicken to even show up."

Ladybug swung her yoyo forth, blocking Volpina's attacks. She swung her yoyo around her flute and tried to pull it away from her, but Volpina held a fast, steady grip on her weapon. The fox attempted to drag Ladybug closer to her so she could snatch her Miraculous, but Ladybug let go of her flute and instead charged towards her. The fox ran out into the street. Volpina played her flute and soon two lanes of traffic converging, coming in left and right. Ladybug was smirking at Volpina.

"Is that all you got?" she asked.

Suddenly a car ran into Ladybug, sending her sliding across the ground. The cars coming from the left were real, but the cars on the right were completely fake. She ached all over. Volpina laughed at her and Ladybug growled. She got up and then she was blasted into a wall by an orange beam.

"What the?!" Ladybug asked. "Since when did you have that kind of power?"

"Oh you fail to realize how much powerful I've become." Volpina remarked. "I have even more tricks up my sleeve." She threw a smoke bomb, played her flute and created three illusions of herself. While the smoke was fading, she asked, "Which one is the real me? Can you figure it out?!"

The three clones ran towards her, while the real Volpina ran into a nearby alley and detransformed back into Lila. She fed Trixx a slice of pepper. The fox kwami devoured it in four seconds. "Trixx, ears up." Lila said. She transformed into Volpina again and jumped up to the roof. Ladybug got rid of all the illusions of Volpina.

"Where did she go?" Ladybug asked herself.

Volpina jumped down on Ladybug, pinning her to the ground. She tried to snatch Ladybug's earrings, but she titled her head opposite to the direction of Volpina's left hand. She kicked the fox in the knee, knocking her down so Ladybug could get back up. She tried to use her yoyo to wrap around Volpina's necklace (as that's where Ladybug thought the supposed akuma was), but she quickly dodged Ladybug's every move. Ladybug then saw four illusions of Volpina, but she was unaware that the real one had been about to lasso her and chain her to the wall of the Arc de Troimphe. Ladybug tried to break free from the chains, but it was no use.

"You're through, Ladybug." Volpina said. She began to approach Ladybug. "Your Miraculous is mine!"

Meanwhile, Cat Noir found Queen Bee standing on top of the Louvre.

"Well, it's about time you showed up kitty-kat." Queen Bee said. "I was getting rather lonely."

"Who are you and why are you attacking Paris?!" Cat Noir asked.

"The name's Queen Bee." she answered. "And I'm here to challenge you."

"You leave those civilians alone!" he shouted. He ran up towards her, and she jumped down from the pyramid, letting him run straight into the glass. Queen Bee grabbed his wrist. He shook her off by kicking her down and split his staff into two pieces. She arose from the ground, got out her spear and tried to impale Cat Noir. He used his sticks to block the spear.

"Malevolence!" Queen Bee exclaimed, summoning her power. She fired the energy at Cat Noir. He sidestepped, avoiding the black beam of energy that was coming right towards him.

He then backflipped to give himself some time to rejoin the pieces of his staff. After doing so, he found himself pushing her spear away with his staff. He managed to push her back, giving him a second to catch his breath.

"Who are you, and why are you doing this?!" he asked, attempting to use his staff to knock her into a wall.

"I have my reasons, alley cat!" Queen Bee answered.

"And what exactly are those reasons?" Cat Noir asked.

"You don't need to know!" she responded. She struck Cat Noir in the shoulder with her spear. He screamed in agony and she knocked him down. He almost thought his shoulder bones were broken, but Plagg reassured him that they weren't.

Queen Bee flew into the air and her spear started glowing purple.

"What? She can fly?!" Cat Noir asked.

"Of course I can fly, Tomcat. Did you think these wings were just for show?" Queen Bee asked. "Poison..."

Cat Noir knocked her spear out of her hands by splitting his staff into two pieces and throwing one of them at Queen Bee like a boomerang. Queen Bee dropped her weapon and it stopped glowing. She flew back down to try and get it, but Cat Noir used his staff pieces to form an X and shoved Queen Bee onto the ground.

"Is that all you got, Miss High and Mighty?" he asked.

She smirked. "You're clever, kitty. But not quite clever enough. Malevolence!" She threw the black energy at him and suddenly he felt very weak. He felt like he was going to fall unconscious. Cat Noir fell to his knees. She got up and retrieved her spear. "Running out of steam already? I thought this would be more of a challenge. Or is that because Ladybug isn't here?"


	14. All Alone, They're On Their Own

Meanwhile, Hawkmoth, who had been watching both fights from his lair, was very pleased with his henchwomen. Volpina was about to take Ladybug's earrings and Cat Noir seemed to be too weak to stop Queen Bee from taking his ring.

"Ah ha ha ha ha! This is perfect!" he exclaimed. "Everything's going even better than I had previously thought."

Ladybug tried to break free, but the chains binding her were very tight.

 _There has to be a way out of this..._ Ladybug thought to herself.

 _I told you it was a bad idea to split up._ Tikki said.

Ladybug felt defeated. There was nothing she could do. Volpina was in reaching distance.

"Any last words before I take your Miraculous?" Volpina asked.

"Yes. To my fellow Parisians, I'm sorry for having failed you." Ladybug answered.

No one but Volpina could hear her short speech.

"Very touching. It's too bad no one heard it." she remarked.

Suddenly pepper spray was thrown into her eyes. Someone worked to free the chains, and soon Ladybug was free.

"Go forth, Ladybug, and defeat her." a voice whispered.

"Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed.

Ladybug conjured a cross necklace.

"Okay, what do I do with this?" she asked.

She looked around, and saw a nearby car coming her way, one of Volpina's ponytail holders, and then looked at her necklace. Ladybug jumped onto the car, removed the latch from the clasp of the metal necklace and swung it towards Volpina. It nearly got her necklace, but it got one of her ponytail holders. She pulled on the necklace, tugging on her hair making her scream. Infuriated, Volpina threw a beam of energy at Ladybug then threw a copy of her Miraculous while she was stunned and ran away. Ladybug got up and broke the necklace, but there was no akuma.

Her Miraculous beeped. She had four minutes left. "Where's the akuma?" Ladybug looked around for Volpina, and found Lila unconscious behind a dumpster. The necklace appeared back in her hand. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She tossed the necklace into the air, repairing the small amount of damage caused by Volpina. "Pound it!" she said. "Oh right... Cat...is gone..."

She swung off back to her house and detransformed on her balcony.

 _Who needs Cat Noir? He's just a pain. I hate him._ Marinette thought.

Meanwhile, over at the Louvre, Cat Noir got up after being weakened by Queen Bee's Malevolence.

"No matter how tough you are, I will defeat you!" he claimed.

He ran towards Queen Bee, who somersaulted and dodged his attack.

"You're only second rate. Without Ladybug, you're powerless." Queen Bee taunted.

She laughed at him and then Cat Noir looked closer and saw a yellow comb in her hair. He gasped.

"You're... you're a Miraculous holder, aren't you?" Cat Noir asked.

"That's right, kitty cat." she answered. "You can't stop me either away, Cat Noir!"

"You wanna bet?" he asked. "Cataclysm!"

"Poison sting!" she exclaimed.

Queen Bee fired the purple energy at Cat Noir, making him really sick. He unintentionally used his Cataclysm on the ground, causing the ground around him to shake and the concrete around the Louvre cracked and broke into several pieces. The Bee Miraculous beeped. Queen Bee's countdown had begun.

She smirked. "You're at the end of your rope, kitty. Just hand me the Miraculous and we'll call it a night."

Cat Noir was weak, sick, and about to faint. "Never!" He ran away.

"Hey! Get back here!" she yelled.

Queen Bee flew after him. Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped. Four minutes left.

"You'll never take me alive!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

"We'll just see about that!" Queen Bee proclaimed.

Cat Noir ran down on all fours as Queen Bee pursued him. Queen Bee's miraculous beeped again.

 _Are you sure you should be chasing him down? You only have three minutes left._ Hunni told her.

 _I've got this._ Queen Bee thought.

Queen Bee chased him down the streets of Paris. She flew over the Le Grand Paris Hotel. Her Miraculous beeped and she ran out of power. She detransformed mid-air.

 _Or maybe not._

"Ahh!" she screamed as she fell. Sploosh! Into the water. The pool was freezing cold. "Brr..."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Hunni said.

"Shut up, Hunni." Chloe said through gritted teeth.

"Chloe?" Mr. Bourgeios asked. Hunni hid in Chloe's shirt. "Are you alright? I looked for you in your room, but I couldn't find you."

"I'm alright. Queen Bee kidnapped me to use me as bait to lure Ladybug out of hiding, but I escaped." Chloe answered.

"I'm glad you're safe." he said. He threw his arms around his daughter. She hugged him.

 _Whew. That was too close._ Chloe thought. _Nobody must find out about my ruse._

Meanwhile, Cat Noir was in an alley and he detransformed behind a dumpster.

"That was too close." Adrien said. He coughed vigorously.

"Oh no... You're sick." Plagg commented.

"I have to get back home." Adrien said. "But I'm so weak. And I'm out of Camembert for you."

"Your father doesn't even know you're gone. How are you going to get back in without the Gorilla or Sanscoeur noticing?" he asked.

"I don't know." Adrien answered.

Adrien was stuck in a quandary. He had no way to get back home without being noticed. And if he was caught by his father's employees, he'd be questioned again. He didn't want his dad to discover his double-life as Cat Noir.

"I guess I better find you some cheese. And quickly." he said.

He got out his phone and looked at the time. 9:55pm. All of the cheese shops were closed. What was he doing to feed Plagg? He hated peppers, didn't like sweet stuff, he ate nothing but cheese unless you forced him to eat something else. He walked out of the alley with Plagg in his vest, looking for the nearest food store. At this point, he was willing to take anything he could get. He saw a cafe that was relatively deserted. He knew he had about 20 euros in pocket money, so he decided to treat himself and Plagg. He walked in, got a table, and ordered a glass of water. Much to his delight (and surprise), the cafe was relatively deserted. It was a Friday night, and he was in the most deserted corner of the cafe.

Now that he wasn't fighting Queen Bee as Cat Noir, Adrien actually had time for a breather. _Why didn't I say something to Ladybug? I love her... and now she never wants to see me again... I have no family, I have very few friends, none of which can help me with my difficulties as Cat Noir, and I've lost my one chance at true love. I have nothing left but my Miraculous._


	15. The Secret Successor

It had been two days since the argument between Ladybug and Cat Noir. Marinette was in her room. She had already finished all her homework, and she originally planned on going to the movies with Alya, but she pretended to be sick and cancelled. In reality, she was very distressed. She remembered all those times she worked with Cat Noir.

"Pound it!" they said after defeating the Bubbler.

She remembered breaking his fall when he fell from the sky.

"Well, hey. I am head over heels to see you, my lady." he said.

He leaned to kiss her, but she untangled her yoyo, dropping him onto the ground. "You're welcome. You owe me one."

She even recalled kissing him. She didn't want to, but she had to break the curse on him. She wasn't in love with Cat Noir like she was with Adrien, but she felt something when she kissed him. However, he didn't remember the kiss, which was both a good and a bad thing.

"Are you alright?" Tikki asked.

"I'm just thinking about the argument." she answered.

"Between you and Cat?" the pink kwami asked.

Marinette frowned and answered, "He doesn't trust Master Fu, and he took the Miraculous book from him. I'm never going to be able to use it thanks to his stupid action! I don't even need him."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. I've stopped akumatized victims three times without his help."

"But what about Cat? What if he faces an akuma all alone?"

Marinette hadn't thought about that.

"Marinette? Are you alright?" Sabine asked.

Marinette came downstairs and answered, "Yes, mother, I'm fine."

"Well, you had been cooped up in your room all morning." she commented.

"Didn't you have plans to go to the movies with Alya?" Tom asked.

"I did, but I cancelled them." Marinette answered.

"How come?" Marinette's mother asked.

"I... I just feel miserable." she answered.

"What's wrong?" Marinette's father asked. "You're not falling into a depression are you?"

"No... it's just... I don't wanna talk about it. It's complicated..." Marinette answered.

"We're here for you Marinette." Sabine said, embracing her daughter.

"If there's ever a problem, you can talk to us." Tom said.

 _If only I could tell them..._ Marinette thought.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Lila were in her room at Le Grand Paris.

"This is all your fault."

"No it isn't! How are we going to explain this failure to the boss?" the former asked.

"He already knows, Chloe." Lila said. "He's not that oblivious."

"Did you speak with him?" Chloe asked.

"I did. He was angry, yet not exactly boiling with rage." Lila answered. "What I really don't get is who saved Ladybug."

"Maybe it was another Miraculous wielder?"

"I doubt that, but... I don't know... How many Miraculouses are there anyway?"

"Perhaps one of our kwamis can tell us." Chloe said. "Hey Hunni, how many Miraculouses are there?"

"There are seven of them. The Bee, Fox, Moth, Ladybug, Cat, Turtle and Peacock. The peacock's been silent for a while..." Hunni answered.

"Maybe it was the Turtle Miraculous wielder." Chloe suggested.

"It is possible." Lila said.

Meanwhile, over at Master Fu's massage parlor and residence, Marinette was speaking with Master Fu.

"I feel bad..." Marinette said.

"Don't be. This must be kept secret, at least for now." Master Fu reminded her.

She sighed and leaned her back against the wall.

"I honestly don't think I'm up for it." she responded.

"You're Ladybug. You can capture akumas, stop several baddies, without Cat Noir's help even. If you can do that, you can become the next Great Guardian." Tikki said.

"You're right. I can do this." Marinette said. "With friends like him, who needs enemies?"

"I really hate to see you and Cat Noir arguing, especially since I'm the subject of the feud, but... I can't force you to get along, and we must continue to focus on the task at hand." Master Fu said. "You've been able to connect to and feel the energy of the universe, now can you use these hidden energies to see the state of a kwami?"

"I can try." she answered.

She closed her eyes and tried to read the energy around Tikki. In her minds eye, she saw Tikki glowing with red energy all around her.

"I see Tikki glowing with red energy. Is this normal?" she asked.

"Yes, Ladybug. This is perfectly normal. You just saw her aura. Tikki's is red, Wayzz is green, and you can figure out the rest." Master Fu said. "Can you actually sense Tikki's energy inside her body?"

"Yes. It's mostly positive. No trace of sickness to be found." Marinette said.

"Well done." Master Fu said.

After the session was over, Marinette transformed into Ladybug and went back home. She thought about school as she swung back to her house. She had eight weeks left until summer vacation. But most of it would be spent training to become the next Great Guardian. Sadly, she didn't know how little time she actually had.


	16. Cat's Confusion

Author's Notes:

-Even though the Bee Kwami is not in this chapter, due to new information being released, the bee kwami formerly known as Hunni will now be called Pollen.

It had been a week since the argument. In this time, two different akumatized villains showed up. The first one, Froidcouer, was a villain who could create ice and snow. The second one, the Destroyer, was defeated by Cat Noir. But bad things ended up happening each time.

"You can't stop me, Ladybug!" Froidcouer exclaimed.

She was a woman with light blue eyes. Her white hair was lose and reached to her waist. Her snow pale skin was exposed because she a long light blue sleeveless dress with sliver snowflakes on them. She wore a sliver tiara with white topaz jewels embedded into it. She had cast a snowstorm all over Paris and she had evil snowmen serving her.

"You'll never stop me, Froidcouer!" Ladybug exclaimed.

She laughed coldly. "You're cold and alone. You can't hope to stop me. Servants, get her earrings!"

They charged towards her. Eventually, Ladybug defeated Froidcouer and she turned back into Nathalie Sanscouer. Another victory for Ladybug. But it was not easy, especially with Cat Noir's absence.

Sometime later, Cat Noir was facing an even bigger problem. The Destroyer was a villain that had crazy powerful bombs. Cat Noir was frantically trying to stop him from blowing up Paris (more specifically, Le Grand Paris hotel and City Hall), and that wasn't even the biggest problem. Not only did Destroyer want to take Cat Noir's Miraculous, he also wanted him dead. He had thrown numerous bombs at Cat Noir, pinning him against the wall.

"You're at the end of your rope, Cat Noir. So give it up!" the Destroyer said.

"I won't give up. With or without Ladybug, I will defeat you!" he exclaimed. "Cataclysm!"

He meant to use it on the ground to temporarily trap him, but he tripped and accidentally laid his hand on his heart, destroying the Destroyer. He was dead, and it was all his fault. He didn't mean for it to happen, and he left the scene instead of telling the truth to the reporters. Raphael D'Argencourt (aka the Destroyer) was believed to have died of a heart attack. But Adrien knew the truth. He scolded Plagg that night in his room.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Adrien asked.

"I thought you knew. If Cataclysm is used on a human being in the right place, such as the heart, the head, or even the neck, it will destroy the akuma and kill them in the process. Anywhere else can cause a lot of pain and/or a broken bone without destroying the akuma, but instead releasing it." Plagg explained.

"Great. Now I feel guilty. That man didn't deserve to die, but it wouldn't have come down to this if it aren't for Ladybug..." he stopped. "Ladybug..."

"Don't you think it's time you make up and make out with her?" Plagg asked.

"Kiss her? Not only does she not like me, she probably hates me now. She'll never forgive me." Adrien sighed in lament.

Now the situation between Ladybug and Cat Noir was the opposite of better. The troubled superheroes were in chemistry class. It was about 10 minutes before they were to pack up. Nathaniel was scrambling around, looking for another sheet of paper to continue his notes.

"Why don't you use the back of your second page?" Juleka asked.

"I would, but I forgot there was a sketch on the back of it." he answered.

He turned over the page of notes to his sketch.

"So this is what you've been doing during your free time?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked. She picked it up and examined it carefully. "What's this?"

"It's called "Cat's Confusion". It's a drawing depicting the current situations of the occurrence of Volpina, the division between Ladybug and Cat Noir, and the rise of Queen Bee." Nathaniel answered. "I don't really care if you look at it. I wish that Ladybug and Cat Noir could see it, but they don't even know me, so... I guess the most I can do is show it to you guys."

Everyone gathered to see Nathaniel's sketch. On the left side, Cat Noir had his back close to a wall in the middle of the photo. Queen Bee had her spear charged with black energy and looked like she was ready to fire at him. There were a few buildings in the background and a few silhouettes of scared civilians. On the right side, Volpina was closer to the wall and Ladybug was on the ground.

"So, why exactly is it called Cat's Confusion?" Alya asked.

"If you look closely at Cat's right hand, you'll see that he's activated his Cataclysm power. But he has yet to use it. Queen Bee is about to fire at him." Nathaniel answered. "Is there a way for him to defeat Queen Bee all on his own?"

"Yes. There's a piano hanging above Queen Bee and a rope keeping it from falling on her pretty little head." Kim answered.

"That seems what like Cat Noir would do." Nathaniel answered.

"Why wouldn't he?" Alix asked.

"There's one other thing that he can destroy with his power. Look closely." he answered.

Several people were stumped. What else could Cat Noir destroy in this sketch? "The brick wall?" Nino asked. "Oh wait. That's probably wrong."

"Actually you're correct. That wall represents the emotional barrier between Cat Noir and Ladybug." Nathaniel answered. "What emotion caused that wall to be built? Is it fear? Anger? Pride? Perhaps even all of them? So here comes the real question; does Cat Noir use his Cataclysm on the rope, causing the piano to fall on Queen Bee and defeat her all by himself, or does he destroy the wall to face Volpina and Queen Bee alongside Ladybug?"

"But Ladybug doesn't even need Cat Noir. She said it herself." Marinette commented.

"She may have defeated a number of akumatized villains on her own, but could she do it for an eternity without Cat Noir by her side?" Nathaniel asked. "Look closer."

"It's looks like my evil self is about to overpower her." Lila said.

"Exactly. Volpina, the most common-occurring akumatized villain these days, is about to defeat Ladybug. Obviously, Cat Noir doesn't know this, but the akumatized baddies she's been facing have been giving her a run for her money. Take note of how Ladybug's outfit has been slightly torn, how weary she looks and one of her pigtails has been undone." he said. "Either way, one more blast, and she may very well be down for the count."

Adrien felt guilty, as did Marinette. Cat Noir wanted to prove that he could handle things on his own, and he unintentionally killed someone in the process. Ladybug wanted to believe that she could handle things on her own, but for how long?


	17. Paris's Last Hope

"We're all depressed with the division of Ladybug and Cat Noir." Alya said. "Why can't they make up already?"

"If only I could show this to them..." Nathaniel said.

"What if I take this picture and show it to Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Marinette asked. "I know Ladybug."

"And I know Cat Noir. But how would we do this whole operation?"Adrien asked. "It would be kinda hard to take the picture, then pass it to Marinette or vice-versa."

"Then have both of them take a picture of the sketch. That way when Marinette and Adrien speak to Ladybug and Cat Noir respectively, they should theoretically be able to convince them to reunite." Max said.

"Theoretically?" Kim asked.

"There is a small chance of failure. A small chance, yet very much real." Max answered.

"You don't mind if we take a picture of his sketch right now, do you, Mrs. Mendeleiev?" Marinette asked.

"Normally I'm against having phones out in class, but since it's for a good reason, go ahead and take your pictures." the teacher answered.

Marinette got out her phone and took a picture of Nathaniel's sketch. Then Adrien did the same. Mrs. Mendeleiev was going to make her students continue their notes, but she realized she was out of time.

"Go forth, Adrien and Marinette, and reunite our heroes." Mylene said.

"You may be Paris's last hope." Rose said.

 _Can I forgive him?_ Marinette thought.

 _Will she forgive me?_ Adrien asked himself.

The school day passed by slowly. Chloe and Lila were outside the school.

"What are the chances that Ladybug will forgive Cat Noir?" Chloe said.

"Probably minuscule." Lila said.

"Should we consult the boss?" she asked.

"We should. But there's too many people here."

"You're right. We need to move to a more deserted area."

The two went under the bridge and transformed into their supervillain selves. Then Volpina used her communicator to contact Hawkmoth.

"Hello ladies. How are things going?" Hawkmoth asked.

"We got some news for you. Two of the students in our class are trying to unite Ladybug and Cat Noir. Should we do something about this?" Volpina asked.

"Stop Ladybug and take her Miraculous before she finds Cat Noir. Then corner him and take his Miraculous." Hawkmoth instructed. "If Ladybug and Cat Noir reunite, they'll be more likely to defeat you."

"Which is bad." Queen Bee remarked.

"Exactly. So get moving immediately!" he ordered.

"Well, you heard him. We must find Ladybug." Volpina remarked.

The duo set off, looking for Ladybug. Meanwhile, Marinette was in her room.

"Should I say something to him?" she asked.

"I don't want to see you fight with Cat Noir. It's about time you apologized to him for acting so irrational." Tikki said.

She looked at her black and white cat pillow on her bed, then back at the mirror. "You're right. He probably had a good reason for taking the book, even if I don't know what that reason is. Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette transformed into Ladybug. She immediately left and jumped across several rooftops. She went to the Parc des Princes, got out her communicator and called Cat Noir. The phone rang three times.

"Ladybug?" a voice said.

"Cat? Is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me." Cat Noir answered.

"Listen Cat, I..." Ladybug started to say.

Suddenly Volpina got out a lasso, and got Ladybug's right hand. She was oblivious.

"Ladybug, did you hear something?" Cat Noir asked.

"Hear...Ahh!"

"Ladybug? Ladybug?!" Adrien was scared out of his mind. "Plagg, claws out!"

He quickly transformed into Cat Noir and left the Agreste Mansion immediately. Using his staff, he tracked down Ladybug's location.

Queen Bee fired Malevolence at Ladybug. She swiftly dodged her attack but unintentionally dropped her yoyo in the process. Volpina created an image of Cat Noir.

"Cat... Cat Noir? What are you doing here?" Ladybug asked.

Then Queen Bee tangled up Ladybug in her own yoyo. She held a firm grip to keep Ladybug from getting away.

"Didn't you know, Cat Noir has joined us." Lila said.

"What?! No... This can't be true." she said, trying to fight back tears.

The illusion of Cat Noir smirked as the real one arrived. He gasped quietly to himself. Queen Bee laughed.

"No one can stop me this time." Volpina said.

She reached for Ladybug's earrings. There was no way Cat Noir could reach Ladybug in time. He had no plan, so he did the only thing he could.

"Cataclysm!"

"It's over Ladybug." Queen Bee said.

He jumped down and tried to destroy Volpina, but he tripped and the power went into the ground, causing a huge earthquake.


	18. Against the Odds

"Cat Noir!" they exclaimed in unison. The illusion of the fake Cat Noir was destroyed.

Volpina looked more terrified of his presence. "What is he doing here?"

"That matters not! Get him!" Queen Bee ordered.

She charged towards him. Cat Noir's ring beeped. At least his earthquake didn't spread very far past the soccer field.

"Ladybug, I know this is a really bad time to apologize, but, I can't stand the idea of you hating me." Cat Noir said, dodging Volpina's every move. "You're my best friend. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already have." she answered. "Now get me up to speed on Queen Bee. I've never battled her."

He pushed Volpina back with his staff. They fought with their weapons as if they were swords. "Alright. She's a Miraculous wielder who works for Hawkmoth, but that's pretty obvious. She can fire black colored beams of energy with her spear or her hands, and it's called Malevolence. Don't get hit by one of her attacks or you'll be severely weakened and/or fall sick." He spun his staff, avoiding a blast from Chloe. "She can only use it a certain number of times before her countdown begins."

She ducked to avoid Ladybug's yoyo. Queen Bee then rolled backwards and flew into the air with her wings.

"Oh and she can fly." he quickly added.

"Great. Just great." she sarcastically remarked.

Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped again. Queen Bee's staff charged with purple energy. "And you forgot the Poison Sting." She fired the beam at Cat Noir and he was knocked down.

"Cat!" Ladybug run to him. She held him in her arms. "Cat, are you alright?! Speak to me!"

"My blood feels like it's on fire! It feels like I'm being stung by a thousand bees!" he answered.

Ladybug glared at Queen Bee. "What did you do to him?!"

"Oh it won't kill him, but it will make him completely defenseless." she answered. Her Miraculous beeped.

Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped a third time. "This is bad. I'm running out of time."

"Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed, desperate. Her yoyo spun in the air. She conjured a strange item. It looked like an oversized broadcasting camera, yet she didn't know what it was. "What the heck is this and how do I use it?"

She looked closely at the device, and saw a red light that wasn't glowing, a circular vent with tiny holes in it, and a handle. She then realized it was a fog machine. She quickly turned it onto its highest setting. She used her yoyo to knock them down, leaving them stunned. The fog quickly spread throughout the stadium. Ladybug ran away with Cat Noir. Volpina used an energy beam to destroy the fog machine.

The fog lifted, revealing that the superheroes had disappeared.

Queen Bee gasped. "They're gone!"

Volpina frowned. "We've lost."

Queen Bee dropped to her knees. "Pollen, stripes off."

"Trixx, ears down."

The two detransformed. Meanwhile, Ladybug and Cat Noir were on the rooftop. Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped again. Ladybug set Cat Noir down gently onto the roof.

"Cat, you only have a minute before you detransform, but Queen Bee's attack really hurt you."

"Don't worry. Plagg tells me that I'll be fine."

"Plagg?" Ladybug asked. "Is that your kwami?

"Yes. Who's yours?" he asked.

The red and black dressed superheroine paused for a moment. "Her name's Tikki."

Cat Noir looked at Ladybug sadly. "My lady, I'm really sorry about all this. I owe you an explanation."

"But you're almost out of time before you detransform." Ladybug said. "Tell ya what, meet me on the roof of the Notre Dame in one hour."

"Alright. I'll text you if I can't make it." he said.

Ladybug swung away. Only three seconds later, his Miraculous beeped, and he involuntarily detransformed into Adrien. Plagg groaned as he landed in Adrien's hand.

"Oh, I think we're both exhausted." Plagg noticed Adrien smiling. "Adrien?"

Adrien laid down. "I'm glad that she finally forgives me."

Plagg looked at Adrien. "How are you going to explain the truth if you don't even know everything?"

"I'll find a way, regardless of whether or not I know every single detail. I'm sure she'll understand." Adrien answered. "How long it is going to take for Poison Sting to wear off?"

Plagg mused to himself. "Hmm... Let's see... Poison Sting has varying affects, depending on how many times she's used Malevolence.. For the intense pain you're feeling right now, probably a few minutes."

"It took two days to get rid of that cold."

"This sting was more painful, but shouldn't last very long." Plagg said. "Come on, we can't stay here."

Adrien fed Plagg some cheese and went back to his house. It was about 4:30. His Chinese lesson wasn't until 7:30, and he already had his piano lesson that day, so he was free as a bird. Even though he didn't feel like it too much. He felt somewhat anxious, but if he wanted Ladybug to understand, he'd have to be honest yet also tell her only what was necessary. One hour later, Cat Noir arrived at the Notre Dame.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, LB." Cat Noir said once he reached the roof.

"You didn't." Ladybug answered. "I'm not mad at you anymore. But I would like to know; Why did you take the book?"

"Well, here's the thing. I know a guy, his name is Mr. A."

Ladybug looked baffled. "Mr. A?"

"I can't tell you his real name without risking his identity. Anyway, Mr. A is a very successful and wealthy businessman. One day, when I was over at his house in my civilian form, I saw him put away something in a safe behind a painting. I found the book on the Miraculouses and I tried to find out why Mr. A had it in his possession. So I took the book, but somehow I lost it. I searched for hours to try and find it, so, I took the book and put it back where I found it. I know Mr. A very well, and if he were to discover that the book was missing, Mr. A's employees and his son would have something worse than Hawkmoth to deal with."

"So that's why you returned it. You must be friend's with Mr. A's son, and you didn't want him to be framed for something he didn't do."

"Exactly. I'm also trying to find out why he has the book."

"You don't think... Mr. A could be Hawkmoth?"

Cat Noir's heart almost stopped. "What?! No! I highly doubt that's the case."

"Well... There aren't many Miraculouses left..."

"None are left. We hold the Cat and the Ladybug, Master Fu has the Turtle, Hawkmoth has the Moth, an evil mistress has the Bee, and we don't know where the Fox or Peacock is." Cat Noir said, counting on his fingers for every Miraculous.

"We mustn't jump to conclusions." Ladybug said. "We don't even know anything about Hawkmoth."

"All we know is that he's very evil, he can create akumatized baddies, and for some reason, he wants our Miraculouses."

"But why? What could he have to gain?" Ladybug asked.


	19. The Lucky Duo Reunites

Cat Noir shrugged. "And is Queen Bee working for Hawkmoth?" Ladybug asked.

"She is. She's one of his henchmen. Alongside Volpina who has been akumatized several times." Cat Noir answered.

"Hmm... I figured that Queen Bee was working for Hawkmoth. He must have given her the Bee Miraculous numerous days ago."

"But how long has she been in possession of the Miraculous?"

"I don't know. She was hiding in the shadows for several days before she finally came out of the shadows."

"And that was on the day we got into that argument. I feel really bad for doing something reckless. Xu Ling is our ally and I was wrong to doubt him."

"You knew what you were doing. I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I'm just glad to have you back."

Cat Noir hugged Ladybug. After a moment of surprise, she threw her arms around him. Unbeknownst to them, Alya had caught part of their conversation on video. It was titled, _The Lucky Duo Reunites._ She reported it to the Ladyblog and soon was reported on other news stations. All of Paris was cheering and festive. Well, except for their enemies. Lila was watching Alya's video on the Ladyblog.

"I figured that Queen Bee was working for Hawkmoth. He must have given her the Bee Miraculous numerous days ago."

"But how long has she been in possession of the Miraculous?"

"I don't know. She was hiding in the shadows for several days before she finally came out of the shadows."

"And that was on the day we got into that argument. I feel really bad for doing something reckless. Xu Ling is our ally and I was wrong to doubt him."

"You knew what you were doing. I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I'm just glad to have you back."

Cat Noir embraced Ladybug, and she did the same. The video ended.

"This is not good." Trixx commented.

Lila scowled. "Not good for me, Chloe or Hawkmoth. For everyone else, it's glorious."

Meanwhile, Chloe was seeing the video.

"Ugh... This is bad. With or without the video, Hawkmoth knows of our failure."

"Well, look on the bright side. At least Ladybug and Cat Noir have reunited." Pollen said.

"That's bad, Pollen."

"Bad for you maybe."

Chloe growled under her breath. The following Monday, Ms. Mendeleiev was assigning them into groups for a group project.

"This can't be right. There's one group of two here. There are supposed to be five sets of three..." she muttered under her breath.

"Did you remember Lila Rossi?" Max asked.

"Oh yes. The foreign exchange student..." Ms. Mendeleiev said.

"That isn't a bad thing... Is it?" Lila asked.

"Oh not at all! I have nothing against foreign exchange students. In fact, with your addition to this class, we can finally have those perfect sets of three instead that awkward quartet or two sets of two. Anyway, as most of you know by now, your groups are determined ahead of time by me. You never get to choose unless I tell you otherwise. The first group is Adrien, Nino and Ivan."

Ivan muttered to himself, "Alright. Not bad."

"The next group is Kim, Sabrina and Max. Followed by Marinette, Chloe and Lila."

"What? Again?!" Marinette groaned in irritation.

"I guess working with rivals is unavoidable." Chloe said.

"Agreed." Marinette and Lila said in unison.

"First I get stuck with Miss High and Mighty, and now that girl?" Lila said, referring to Marinette.

"Why do you hate her?" Nino asked.

Lila scoffed. "Don't you remember? That girl accused me and Chloe of selling our souls over to the Devil!" she exclaimed.

Chloe looked Lila curiously. "That's what you're referring to Hawkmoth as?"

"Yes. I would never say that if I was ever unfortunate enough to encounter him face to face, but it's an appropriate title."

"The initials on that letter said HM. What was I supposed to think?!" Marinette yelled in frustration.

"You were snooping through the trash again? What are you? A creepy stalker?" Chloe asked.

Marinette folded her arms and glared at Chloe. "I am not a stalker!"

"You're a thief! You stole my phone!" she screamed.

"That was one time! It was for good reason! And I returned it!" Marinette stated.

"Who is she?! Who does she think she is?!" Lila asked.

"Her name is Marinette Dupain Cheng. The one I'm always ranting about." Chloe answered.

"On the job I might add. You should be focusing more on the task at hand!" Lila exclaimed.

"Hey, I'm focused when I need to be! The boss has never scolded me for lack of attentiveness!" Chloe exclaimed. "If anything, you deserve a demotion!"

Lila gasped, scoffed and glared at Chloe. "You deserve to be fired!"

"Ooo... Burn!" Alix exclaimed.

"Uh, Ms. Mendeleiev? I hate to be one to question your intentions, but, you just set up three different people, all of which hate each other for one reason or another, in the same lab group. Are you sure they're not gonna kill each other by the end of the day?" Alya asked.

"Pretty sure. The worst I've ever seen in one day was one guy getting a black eye from both of his lab partners. I would think these girls would be civil enough to avoid such an occurrence. Moving on, the following group is Alya, Juleka and Nathaniel, and finally Rose, Mylene and Alix. One person from the group come up and get a packet describing your assignment."

Lila and Marinette both pointed at Chloe, who begrudgingly got up and got the packet for her partners. Later on, during passing period, Marinette was in a deserted bathroom. The sign said out of order, so that was perfect for Marinette to speak with her kwami.

"I feel bad for you, Marinette. You're not only stuck with Chloe, but Lila as well." Tikki said.

"How am I going to get through this without completely losing it?" Marinette asked.

Tikki smiled. "You'll find a way."

"Are you sure?" Marinette sighed. "I hate both of those evil brats."

Tikki flew onto her head. "I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, Tikki."

Marinette honestly didn't trust or like either of her lab partners. Her instincts told her that they were up to no good. But what were they doing?


	20. A Terrible Mistake

Later that day, Adrien was still trying to discover the link between his father and the Miraculous book. He paced his room and was speaking to Plagg in his room as the kwami nibbled on a piece of Camembert.

"Kid, there's no way your father's Hawkmoth."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me."

"Okay, Plagg." Adrien said. "But if he's not Hawkmoth, then why does he have the Miraculous book with him?"

"Hmm... Maybe he was a previous Miraculous wielder and he stole it?" Plagg asked.

"My father doesn't seem like the kind of guy to steal anything. And even if he was a Miraculous wielder, which Miraculous would he have wielded?"

Plagg shrugged. "I don't know."

Adrien thought to himself briefly. "Let's see... The Moth Miraculous was believed to have been lost forever before Hawkmoth found it, and Master Fu has had the Turtle Miraculous long before my father was born. So that narrows it down to the Ladybug, Cat, Bee, Fox or Peacock."

"Your dad doesn't know I exist, so scratch off Cat. Which one is it?"

"Frankly, I have no idea." Adrien answered. "What if dad didn't even wield the Miraculous? Maybe someone else he knew has or used to have one. Ugh! All this thinking makes my brain hurt!"

"Then why don't you ask him yourself?"

"I don't want to sound accusatory. I'll just think he wielded the Fox Miraculous and call it a day."

He had no idea that he was so close to truth, yet also so far. Meanwhile, Marinette, Lila and Chloe were in the library working on their project. They were to create a presentation on Isomerism. As Lila typed her bullet points on the first slide, she kept a close eye on Chloe to make sure she wouldn't slack off.

"You accuse me of being a slacker." she moaned. "That is not true."

"Don't listen to her." Lila said to Marinette.

"Actually it is true. Chloe's a slacker." Marinette agreed. "Don't you remember the last time you and I were paired up? I learned that you've taken advantage of Sabrina and made her do all of your homework and tests for nearly ten years!"

Lila's jaw dropped. "Wow. That is surprising. An amazing continuous lie and no one's even found out? That's impressive."

"Tell me you're not encouraging this." Marinette groaned.

"Not necessarily. I'm just surprised how Sabrina hasn't betrayed her."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"She will turn her back on you one day if you keep this up." Lila said. "I'm surprised she continues to be your slave."

"I agree with you completely, Lila."

"Who's side are you on?" Chloe asked. "I thought you hated Lila."

"I'm not on anyone's side. I just criticize the bitch that needs to be reproached." Marinette answered.

Chloe growled under her breath. Lila was also angry, but she was better at concealing her emotions than Chloe was. Meanwhile, Sabrina, Max and Kim were in the computer lab, far from the trio of girls that hated each other.

"You can't let Chloe continue using you like this, Sabrina. You're going to crash and burn eventually." Max said.

Sabrina frowned. "But what else am I to do?"

"You have to tell her the truth." Kim answered.

"But how do I do that? And how will she react? There's too much to thi..." she started.

"Then don't think." Max said. "Overthinking will not help the situation at hand."

Sabrina looked at him. "You're right. No matter what happens, tomorrow, I tell her the truth."

"That's the spirit!" Max cheered.

The following day, the students were in chemistry class, writing down notes.

"Nathaniel! Why are not writing down your notes?"

"I already have them down madame." he answered.

She looked at him skeptically. "Let me see that." The teacher examined his paper. He had written everything down. She widened her eyes and gasped. "He really does have them all down. Everything! Even the stuff I haven't taught you yet!"

Several gasps were heard. "What?!" Max exclaimed.

Ms. Mendeleiev stood there stuttering. "How... how in this world is this possible?"

Nathaniel smirked. "I'm just that good."

"This... this doesn't make any sense..." she muttered. "None of it makes sense." She sighed. "Alright. We better get on with these notes."

Nathaniel got out a purple flash-drive. Lila noticed and whispered, "What's that?"

"Nothing." he lied.

She took it from him. "It doesn't look like nothing."

He yelled at her, "Give it back!"

They tried to pull the flash drive out of each others hands and it went flying across the room, eventually landing in front of Adrien. He crouched down to pick it up at the same time Ms. Mendeleiev did. He got up and handed her the flash drive. She gasped. It read A.M.

"This has my initials on it." she said. "Where did this come from?"

"He had it." Lila answered, pointing to Nathaniel.

"Did you have to tell her that?" he asked.

"Those are your initials?" Adrien said, looking at the teacher. "The M obviously stands for Mendeleiev, but what does the A stand for?"

"Amelia, my first name. I only said it on the first day, were you not here for that?"

"No, I wasn't."

"What would Nathaniel be doing with this?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked herself.

She pressed a button on a remote, freezing her white protector screen. She put in the flash drive and opened a file. "I knew it. This flash drive contains all of my notes for this unit, and the remaining units for this quarter of the school year!" Amelia glared at Nathaniel. "You stole it!"

"What?! That's not true! I found it!" he claimed.

"Don't lie to me! You stole it so that you could take the notes for yourself and then share them with your friends! You are guilty of fraud!"

"First off, I never stole anything. You dropped this last Friday while examining my sketch. Second, I haven't shown anyone this. Those notes were only seen by my eyes. How dare you accuse me!"

"How dare you backsass me!"

"You started it!"

"That doesn't matter! You're a liar and a thief!"

"You have no right to insult me! So shut the hell up!"

The students gasped. "That's it! Nathaniel, go to the principal's office!"

He started packing up his stuff. The students watched him slowly walk through the room to the door. He stopped.

"Did you not hear me? Get moving!"

"Send me to the office as many times as you want, Mendeleiev, but I'm innocent. I never thought I'd say this to your face, but, you are the worst teacher EVER!"

He walked out, slamming the door. The force was enough to knock a picture of Ms. Mendeleiev off the wall, shattering the glass frame into pieces. She picked up the photo in the frame. It was a picture of her twenty years ago, when she first started her career at College Francoise Dupont. She got up and stood there in shock.

"Uh, Ms. M?" asked Mylene. "Are you... ok?"

"Huh? I'm... I'm fine." she stuttered. "I just need a drink. Open your textbooks to chapter 10. I'll be back in a few minutes."

The students got out their textbooks as she left the room. Ms. Mendeleiev got a drink of water from a fountain and then recalled several flashbacks. She was walking through the courtyard about twenty years ago, carrying a stack of binders in her hands.

"Ms. Mendeleiev is totally awful!" she heard someone say.

Fifteen years ago, she heard Marlena say, "She's terrible!"

"I hate her!" someone said behind her back ten years ago.

"I hope I don't get stuck with Mendeleiev again." said Jalil five years ago.

"I've heard so many bad things about her." Aurore had said this year.

Usually all these insults didn't affect Ms. Mendeleiev at all. So why did she suddenly feel sad?

"You are the worst teacher EVER!" Nathaniel had yelled to her face.

She suddenly burst into tears. _Am I really the worst teacher ever? He was the one being bad. He stole from me! Why does everyone think I'm the worst?_ She was alone, so no one saw or heard her crying.

Or so she thought. In his liar, Hawkmoth's window opened and he smiled in delight.

"Ah, the sounds of a distressed teacher. She believes she has been wronged, and wronged she has been!" he exclaimed. A white butterfly flew into his hand. Hawkmoth empowered it with negative energy, turning it into an akuma. "Fly away my little akuma, and evilize her."

The akuma flew off, searching for it's target. The akuma found its target swiftly. The butterfly entered Amelia's bracelet. It was a green silk bracelet with the symbol of an atom hanging on it. A purple light mask formed around her eyes.

"You are right about your pupil. He is nothing more than a liar and a thief."

"Yes, you're right."

"Mad Scientist, I am Hawkmoth. I can give you the power to punish your rebellious student and make him pay. All I ask is that you do a favor for me in return."

"Certainly, Hawkmoth."

The black and purple smoke engulfed her, turning her into a villain.


	21. She's Gone Mad! Mad, I Tell You!

Ms. Mendeleiev had been gone for over five minutes.

"I'll be right back." Marinette asked.

"Where are you going?" Lila asked.

"To find Mendeleiev. She's been gone for nearly ten minutes." she answered.

"You don't think she's been akumatized, do you?" Alix asked.

"That's crazy. If anything, I think Nathaniel's been akumatized yet again." Kim asked.

"I thought that Hawkmoth usually didn't use the same trick twice."

"Remember Lila? She's been akumatized too many times to count."

"You wanna make a bet?"

"Sure. If Nathaniel gets akumatized before Ms. Mendeleiev, you have to be my servant for a whole week."

"Alright. If I win, you have to wear a dress to the summer solstice gala."

"I'm gonna win. Nathaniel is doomed to akumatization."

"You're gonna lose. That's crazy."

"Actually, it isn't." Max said.

Juleka looked at him, puzzled. "Huh?"

"What do you mean Kim isn't crazy?" Chloe asked.

"Well, from what I have gathered from multiple akuma stories, the negative emotion that creates the most akumas is anger. And Nathaniel was extremely mad at Ms. Mendeleiev for falsely accusing him of theft and deception. Whereas our teacher showed little to no negative emotions at all. The chances of Nathaniel turning into Evillustrator are approximately 85.5%." Max answered.

Alix's jaw dropped. "I better start making a list of demands now." Kim said.

"Shut up, Hercules." she grumbled.

"Why should we even search for her? She's awful, and we all know it." Alya said.

"She seems emotionless with only anger and discontent. Trust me, I've seen it all before." Adrien remarked.

"But she's still human, just like the rest of us. Everyone has emotions, even the strictest of teachers." Marinette answered.

"Be careful out there." Alix said.

Marinette left the room and looked around. She didn't see anyone. No teachers, students, not even Fred Haprele, who was usually in the courtyard. She felt a bad feeling on creep up her spine. She heard the clinking of glass bottles. She slowly turned around only to be hit in the eyes with acid. Then she screamed.

"My eyes!"

Her eyes stung. She couldn't see a thing. She heard footsteps. They were loud and fast. Then they stopped. Then she felt someone grab her. "Ahh! Help me!" Whoever this person was, they were taking her somewhere. She tried to escape.

"Marinette, calm down! It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." a familiar voice said.

"Cat? Is that you?" Marinette asked.

"No, it's me Adrien." he answered. "Try and keep your eyes open."

Adrien led her to the sink and turned on the cold water. Marinette tried to flush the chemicals out of her eyes.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't know... What was I hit with?" Marinette asked.

"Did you see your attacker?" Rose asked.

"Only a flash of white. They threw some kind of acid at me, but I don't know what it was." the blue haired designer answered.

"Did you see the color of the acid? Give us as many details as you can." Nino said.

"The acid seemed colorless." she answered. "Maybe a hint of light yellow?"

"That sounds like impure sulfuric acid." Max answered.

"How bad exactly is that?" she asked.

"It's serious, but it could be worse. Sulfuric acid is obviously an acid burn. Thank goodness you don't have an alkai burn. That could cause permanent blindness!" Max exclaimed.

"Wouldn't that actually be a good thing? Then Marinette could actually see that she's no match for me." Chloe said, laughing.

Several people glared at Chloe. "Chloe, that was completely uncalled for!" Alya screamed. "Do you want me to slap you?!"

"Do it!" Alix commanded.

"Guys, calm down!" Ivan exclaimed. "All this arguing will get us nowhere, especially with an akumatized baddie roaming these halls!"

"There's an akumatized villain?" Juleka asked.

"Most likely." Sabrina answered. "Who or what else would attack such a nice girl? Marinette hasn't done anything wrong."

"How can you say that?" Chloe asked, glaring at her.

"Because I'm right." she said. "Chloe, I'm through being your slave! There's nothing you can say or do to convince me otherwise! So about me being your all-purpose girl, forget it! You don't deserve my assistance, or any of your fabulous riches, including this mere comb!"

She tried to take the comb, but Chloe slapped her hand away. "Hands off! That was a gift!"

Sabrina scoffed. "From who? Your father?"

"Yes!" Chloe answered.

Suddenly, Nathaniel came running in, slamming and locking the door behind him. "She's gone mad! Mad, I tell you!"

"Mad as in angry, or mad as in totally crazy?" Kim asked.

"Both!" he answered. "Where are Ladybug and Cat Noir when we need them the most?"

Adrien knew that Cat Noir wouldn't show up. He wanted to believe Ladybug would come, but he had no idea that she had just been hit with sulfuric acid.

"Ivan, Kim, Nino, quickly barricade the door!" Adrien commanded. They did as he said, using two heavy lockers to block the door. "Nathaniel, what happened?"

He spoke quickly, "A mad scientist tried to kill me with various chemical concoctions. She seemed to be pulling various compounds out of thin air!"

"What did she look like?" Sabrina asked.

"Her pink hair was long and spiked upward. Her eyes were purple and her complexion was a bright red tone. She wore a long purple dress with several equations and formulas in black font along with a white lab coat, and a green bracelet on her wrist with a silver atom charm." he answered.

Alix held up her hand. "That's enough. I think we know who's at fault for Marinette's eye injury."

Kim started sweating. "Oh no... No, no, no, it can't be..."

"Don't lie to me, Kim. The Mad Scientist is Ms. Mendeleiev." Alix looked at Kim. "You lost the bet. And that means two things; one, we're in trouble, and two, and more importantly, I was right! In your face, meathead!"

"Do you have to gloat about this now?!" Chloe asked.

"Uh, what happened?" Nathaniel asked.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." Alix answered.

"Why would our teacher target Nathaniel?" Rose asked.

"She thinks I'm a thief and a liar, even though I never stole anything. I swear on my life, I'm telling the truth!" Nathaniel answered. "She's searching for me right now. I managed to shake her off, but it's only a matter of time before she finds me. And the rest of you."

"Are you sure?" Juleka asked.

"I'm certain. She'll stop at nothing to get her revenge." Nathaniel said. "We're in a really bad situation."

"You sure about that? It could be worse." Marinette said.

"Let's see. Mendeleiev's gone mad, she's after Nathaniel, our heroes are no-shows and the entire school could be destroyed. Could this get any worse?" Alix asked.

"Ahh!" screamed a familiar voice.

"Lila!" Rose exclaimed.

Suddenly a table was thrown towards Alix, hurling her into the wall. A crack was heard and she screamed in agony before landing face first onto the floor.

"ALIX!" Kim yelled, rushing to her side.

Volpina emerged from the ground, causing the students to gasp in terror.


	22. The Madness of Mendeleiev

Kim shoved the table aside, trying to be sure that Alix was alright. Unfortunately, Volpina's attack had cracked one of her ribs. He was too busy to notice the supervillian's sudden reemergence. The students stood frozen in fear.

"What's happening?" Marinette asked.

"Volpina has returned..." Max said.

She turned away and pretended that Hawkmoth was telepathically speaking to her. "Yes, Hawkmoth. Right away. But there is something I must do first."

Volpina turned back to face her classmates, then ran forward and grabbed Chloe. As she ran with Chloe over her shoulder, she used her staff to fire a blast of energy, creating a hole in the wall. "Help me!" Chloe screamed.

The evil fox ran off with Chloe. Mad Scientist then walked in through the hole in the wall. She was exactly as Nathaniel described her. She screamed, "Nathaniel Kurtzberg, where are you hiding?!"

Kim carried Alix away in his arms as most of the other students tried to escape. Nathaniel hid under a table, cowering and wanting this living nightmare to end. Adrien grabbed Marinette by the hand and ran away.

"Marinette, can you see anything?" he asked her as they ran.

"I can see, but my vision's still blurred." she answered.

"Don't worry Marinette. I'll protect you." Adrien said. "I promise."

Meanwhile, Volpina had taken Chloe to a deserted classroom.

"Why did you do that?" the "captive" asked.

"Cause I was getting tired of waiting, Bourgeois." her "captor" quipped. "Now hurry up and transform!"

"Pollen, stripes on!" Chloe exclaimed.

Chloe transformed into Queen Bee. Volpina smirked. "Perfect. Now we must find Mad Scientist."

The two ran off. Cat Noir was on the rooftop searching for Mad Scientist, and Marinette was in the bathroom.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tikki asked. "Your vision's still blurry."

"I don't have a choice. Cat Noir needs my help, especially with two akumatized baddies to face." Marinette answered. "Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette transformed into Ladybug and met up with Cat Noir.

"There you are." Cat Noir said. "What kept you?"

"Eye injury. I still have slightly blurry vision, but I can still see you, and the school down below us." Ladybug answered. "Has everyone gotten out safely?"

"Almost. Lila's been reakumatized back into Volpina, and for some reason, she's kidnapped Chloe."

"Where's Nathaniel?"

"Ahh!" he screamed.

The two saw the young artist backed into a corner. Mad Scientist had two different solutions in her hand. Ladybug lassoed her yoyo to try and stop her, but it didn't end well. The yoyo actually hit Mad Scientist in the head, making her very angry. The duo jumped down, landing on their feet, facing Mad Scientist.

"Nathaniel, get out of here now!" Ladybug ordered.

He didn't need to be told twice. He ran away very quickly. Mad Scientist threw two acids at them. Cat Noir spun his staff to knock the glass vials onto the ground, nullifying the effects on the solutions. Due to their superhero costumes, the acid wouldn't be able to hurt them unless it hit their eyes. Ladybug hoped that wouldn't happen again. She had already been hit with sulfuric acid in her civilian form.

"You little pests!" Mad Scientist screamed.

"Stop this at once, Amelia Mendeleiev!" Cat Noir ordered. "This isn't you! You would never deliberately hurt your students!"

"Nathaniel is innocent!" Ladybug chimed in.

"I'm not Ms. Mendeleiev, the teacher everyone hates. I'm Mad Scientist!" she exclaimed. "And Nathaniel stole from me and refused to admit it! He's a liar and he deserves his comeuppance! But first, to deal with you two!"

She threw acids and bases of all kinds at the duo. Ladybug was knocked into the wall. Cat Noir actually caught one of the vials and threw it at her. Despite the fact that it hit her feet, which weren't covered, the elements had no effect at all.

Cat Noir was baffled. "What the?"

"Fools! I am immune to every element in existence!" she proclaimed. "You can not hope to stop me!"

She threw even more chemicals at them, eventually hitting Ladybug's eyes with sulfuric acid.

"Not again!"

"Ladybug!" Cat Noir caught one of Mad Scientist's vials and threw it at her, causing a diversion. He scooped Ladybug in his arms and ran away with her. By the time she came to her senses, the superheroes were gone.

"Where did they go?"

Meanwhile, the superheroes retreated back to Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom.

"This is the second time I've been hit with sulfuric acid. I can barely see anything." Ladybug said. "Now what? Volpina's still on the loose, Mad Scientist is too strong, we're outmatched."

"And outnumbered assuming Queen Bee comes. Is this the end?"

"No, Cat. It's not. We can still fight them."

"But you can't see a thing!"

"We don't have a choice. We're facing at least two akumatized villains. If we fail, Paris is doomed."

Meanwhile, Mad Scientist was frustrated. Not only was her chance at revenge ruined by the lucky duo, but they got away. Queen Bee flew and Volpina flew above her.

"This is who we must work with?" the queen asked.

"She's pretty powerful. Let's go." answered the fox.

They landed on the ground. Mad Scientist groaned. "Interference. Great. That's all I needed! Who are these punks?"

Her light mask formed. "These are your allies, Queen Bee and Volpina. They will help you to achieve revenge and get the Miraculouses." Hawkmoth answered. The light mask vanished.

"My apologizes, ladies. I didn't know Hawkmoth would be sending reinforcements." Mad Scientist said.

"Apology accepted. With our new alliance, Ladybug and Cat Noir will be outnumbered and outmatched." Volpina stated.

"That's true, but where are those two hiding?" Queen Bee asked.

"I didn't see which direction they ran off in." Mad Scientist said.

Then Queen Bee widened her eyebrows in realization. "I think I have an idea that will not only allow you to get revenge, but allow us to get the Miraculouses as well."

Mad Scientist looked at her curiously. "Really? What is it?"


	23. Chemistry Catastrophe

Nathaniel was tied to a post in the courtyard.

"Are you sure this will work?" Mad Scientist asked.

"I'm certain." Queen Bee answered.

"Where are those foolish heroes?" Volpina asked. "They should have been here by now."

"They'll come. I'm sure of it." the queen stated.

"Are you sure, Miss High and Mighty?"

"I'm certain. We just have to get the message to them."

Nathaniel gulped. How could he have been stupid enough to fall into their trap? Meanwhile, outside the school, the rest of the class was very worried. Alya was scared out of her mind because Marinette was not with them, and she feared her BFF could die at Mad Scientist's hands. Nino was also very scared. His BFF Adrien was still inside the school as well. Of course they had no idea their best friends were superheroes, but who would?

"Where is s/he?" both Alya and Nino were saying in unison. "Where is Marinette/Adrien?"

"Oh this is really bad." Rose said. She started cowering. Juleka tried to comfort Rose, but she couldn't find the words to say. Kim, who was still holding Alix in his arms, was worried out of his mind. Alix's rib was not only broken, but she seemed to be slowly falling unconscious.

"Where the heck is the ambulance?! I called them nearly ten minutes ago!" Kim exclaimed.

"Maybe they're too scared to come here." Max said. "They may have heard about the Chemistry Catastrophe happening here."

Sabrina looked at Alix then back at Kim. "I thought you hated her."

"What? Why would you think that he hates her?" Max asked. "By the way, your glasses are crooked."

She adjusted her crooked glasses. "Well, I always hear them arguing and mudslinging each other."

"I don't have time for this! If I have to, I'll run all the way there myself!" Kim exclaimed.

Mylene titled her head. She, as well as the rest of the class, heard a siren. "No need. Help has arrived."

Soon the ambulance had arrived. Alix was softly moaning in agony. Kim went into the ambulance. He gently set Alix down on the hospital bed. Then they took off at an alarmingly fast speed.

"One her ribs was broken in the akuma attack." Kim said.

"Is she unconscious?" one of the nurses asked.

"She's partially awake." he answered.

The nurses tended to Alix's injury. Kim was trying to mentally reassure himself that once Ladybug and Cat Noir had defeated Mad Scientist and Volpina, that everything would be alright. Meanwhile, Ivan was doing a role call, seeing how many absentees there were.

"Kim, took Alix to the hospital. Lila... akumatized and kidnapped Chloe... Marinette, still in the school, probably being protected by Adrien due to her eye injury. Am I missing anyone else?" Ivan said.

"Wait a minute. Where's Nathaniel?" Juleka asked.

Inside the school, Ladybug and Cat Noir found themselves fighting the Miraculous wielders and Mad Scientist.

"On your left! Your other left!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

Ladybug swung her yoyo as Cat Noir directed to try and block her opponents attacks. Ladybug's sight was nearly gone. One more dose of sulfuric acid (or any acid for that matter) and her sight would be gone for good.

"Malevolence!" Queen Bee exclaimed. She threw a black beam of energy towards her. Trusting her instincts, Ladybug back-flipped which allowed her to dodge the attack.

"Where the heck is Scientist's akuma?" Cat Noir asked while holding back Volpina and trying to dodge Mad Scientist's many vials of acid.

"Probably inside her bracelet." Ladybug answered.

Cat Noir put his staff to Mad Scientist's neck, pinning her against the wall. "How do you know that?"

Ladybug kicked down Volpina. "I remember hearing a description of her from a little birdie with a broken wing."

He reached for the bracelet but Mad Scientist kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the room. He got up and quickly dodged one of Queen Bee's malevolence blasts. Then he dodged an orange energy blast from Volpina.

"Give it up, kitty. You and Ladybug have no chance against us!" she exclaimed.

"That's what you think!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"You're one to talk, insect. You've been hit with sulfuric acid not once, but twice according to your words. Once more, and you're done for!" Mad Scientist exclaimed.

Queen Bee pinned Cat to the ground with her spear as Mad Scientist and Volpina cornered Ladybug. "It's over now!"

Ladybug looked over at Nathaniel, who was still tied up. Then she thought of Adrien. _He's probably trapped here somewhere._ she thought. _I can't give up. I won't give up!_

"Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed, throwing her yoyo into the air.

She conjured a skateboard. "A skateboard? That's our last hope?" Cat Noir asked.

Ladybug side hopped to put some distance between herself and the supervillains. Once she had done so, she started looking around to try and figure out how to defeat three villains with one object. She saw the rope that bound Nathaniel, a vial of clear liquid (potassium hydroxide) strapped to Mad Scientist's belt, Queen Bee's spear and then Nathaniel himself.

"I have a plan. Cat Noir, get Queen Bee's spear." Ladybug commanded. "Then keep them distracted."

"Gladly." Cat Noir said.

Ladybug placed down the skateboard and then quickly untied the rope around Nathaniel. "Ok, Nathaniel, I'll need your help. Once Cat gets Queen's spear, can you hold it up to trip them?"

He nodded in approval. Cat Noir kicked Queen Bee down and took her spear. He quickly gave it to Ladybug, who gave it to Nathaniel. Nathaniel did as she instructed, keeping the staff low enough that it was out of sight, yet could still trip up Queen Bee and Volpina. Then she went forward in front of her trap.

"Hey Queen Bee, Volpina! If you want me, come and get me!" she taunted.

They both chased after her, but they skidded forward on the skateboard, which was suddenly tripped up by Nathaniel using Queen Bee's staff, and the two evil Miraculous wielders hit their heads on the ground, falling unconscious. Cat Noir then tied them up with the rope.

He smiled as the two villains were unconscious. "Nice one, my lady."

"Now for part two." Ladybug said.

Mad Scientist growled. "You little pests! You're gonna pay for that!"

She picked up the potassium hydroxide off her belt, but Ladybug quickly picked up the skateboard. Mad Scientist threw the vial at Cat Noir, but Ladybug swung it back to Mad Scientist. She covered her eyes with her arm, and then Ladybug swiped her bracelet and smashed it on the ground, releasing the akuma.

"Your days are over, akuma." Ladybug said, activating her yoyo. "Time to de-evilize!" She caught the akuma. "Gotcha! Bye-bye little butterfly." She released the now harmless butterfly. The skateboard appeared back in her hands. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As she threw the item into the air, everything was returned back to normal. Well, almost. Mad Scientist had turned back into Ms. Mendeleiev.

"What.. what am I... Oh no..." she muttered to herself.

"Pound it!" Cat Noir and Ladybug said in unison.

Ladybug's earring beeped, singling that she had less than a minute left. "Well, I better get going before I revert back. Bug out!"

Cat Noir ran off. Nathaniel got out the flash drive he picked up during the battle and handed it to Ms. Mendeleiev. "You dropped this." he said.

"That would make that... the second time?"

"Yes, it would."

"How could I have been so blind? So foolish as to blame you for theft?"

"You didn't know what to think. I suck at chemistry one minute and the next thing you know, I'm a genius. I used your notes to my unfair advantage. I should have given the flashdrive back to you." he said. "Look, you and I both know that my grade in here is terrible. What you are unaware of, is all the stress I'm under."

She looked at him with deepest sorrow and regret. "Nathaniel... I'm sorry."

Suddenly the doors were kicked open. Lieutenant Roger and three other police officers entered the scene.

"Looks like Volpina and Queen Bee have been defeated." the lieutenant said.

Roger reached out to take Volpina's necklace, but they vanished in a flash of orange smoke. Everyone gasped.

"They're gone!" the officers exclaimed.

"It was an illusion." Nathaniel said. "That's one of Volpina's powers."

"So where did they go?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked.

Up above them, Volpina and Queen Bee detransformed into Lila and Chloe. Then they walked backwards into the shadows.


	24. Peculiar Proclamations

School was cancelled that day. Ms. Bustier's class learned that Marinette and Adrien were in their homes, safe and sound (Cat Noir told them). Lila and Chloe had to report the news back to Hawkmoth. Inside the Notre Dame, Lila removed the painting, Chloe put it back, and the duo ascended the stairs to Hawkmoth's lair. Eventually they found him in his lair, standing in the darkness. He heard the sound of their footsteps and lit a few candles with a match.

"I'm surprised you decided to show yourselves in person." Hawkmoth said.

"You already know about Mad Scientist's failure then." Lila said.

"How did they even succeed?" Chloe asked. "Ladybug had sulfuric acid thrown to her eyeballs! Twice even, depending on what article you read."

"This is being reported on the news, then." Hawkmoth concluded.

"There are at least three different online articles about it. They call it _The Vicious Vitriol_ or _The Madness of Mendeleiev."_ Chloe answered. She grunted and angrily turned away.

"Chloe, what's the matter?" Lila asked.

The blond "queen" scoffed. "I think you know, Lila. Since Master Hawkmoth is an empath, he probably knows as well."

He answered, "You're angry because your best friend betrayed you and because Lila's prediction ended up being correct."

"I don't get it. How could she have seen it coming?" Chloe asked.

"That matters little in the grand scheme of things." Lila said. "I've noticed that in the video where our enemies split up, Ladybug has previously mentioned a guy named Xi Ling. I have been trying to figure out a connection between him and our city's superheroes. According to what I got out of Trixx, his full name is Ling Xi Fu, otherwise called Master Fu. He has the title of the Great Guardian, and he's the one who gave Ladybug and Cat Noir their Miraculouses. I have also found a picture of him, and he's a very old, wise man. I believe he also possesses a Miraculous."

"Wow... You got a lot more information on him then I did with Nooroo." Hawkmoth stated. "Master Fu is the wielder of the Turtle Miraculous. Much to my surprise, we never see him trying to help out our enemies."

Chloe shrugged. "Maybe he prefers to keep a low profile."

"Or perhaps he is waiting for the right moment to aid them." Lila suggested.

"So, why are you telling us this?" the blond-haired queen asked.

Lila smiled wickedly. "I thought that, perhaps, if we take him down, our enemies will feel disheartened and give in to despair."

"I think I have an even better idea. Not only do we take him down, we take his Miraculous as well. As far as we know, Master Fu has no successor, which will leave the world without a guardian, and turn the tides in our favor." Chloe added.

"Not only that, but if I were to get the Miraculous, I could force the kwami to teach me everything about being the Great Guardian." Hawkmoth stated. "His secrets will be all mine!"

The fox looked at her master. "Why you?"

"According to what Norroo told me, becoming the Great Guardian is a difficult task. I'd either have to take on the responsibility of training or hand the Miraculous to another dark soul. And where would I find another evil agent? I don't think I can find any more permanent workers."

"What about Alix?" Lila asked. "She's fiery, hot-headed, and, according to Nino, a cold-blooded killer in her Time Breaker form."

"Bad idea for three reasons: One, you broke her ribs. Two, she's not really evil. And three, I'm not sure she can be trusted to keep secrets." Chloe answered.

"She's right. Alix Kubdel is a very bad candidate." Hawkmoth said. "And her ribs are broken."

"Wouldn't Alix's rib be fixed with Ladybug using her miraculous healing power?" Lila asked.

"Not necessarily."

The next day, as the students went to class, some of them used the hole in the wall (which was not repaired by Ladybug's powers) as an entrance.

"Alix, are you okay?" Mylene asked.

"Her ribs were not healed." Kim said.

"I don't understand..." Alix began, before breathing in. "How could this be?"

"It doesn't make sense." Nathaniel stated.

"Grrr... If I didn't know any better, I'd say Lila was responsible. But she's just a victim. So Hawkmoth is the only one to blame." Alix said.

Ms. Mendeleiev looked at Alix's injury. "Oh no... I can't believe it. Did I cause her pain and it not be healed?"

"You're not the one at fault, Madame. Alix's injury was caused by Lila, who has been akumatized numerous times now." Max answered. He turned to Lila, looking at her curiously. "Lila, do you think this might be related to your memory as Volpina is getting worse and/or your powers increasing?"

"I don't know, but it's possible." she answered sadly.

"Huh? What exactly do you mean by that?" Adrien asked.

"Ok, here's the thing. After victims are de-akumatized, they may or may not remember what they did in their akumatized state of mind. For instance, according to interviews, Alya remembers nothing as Lady Wifi, Nino remembers bits and pieces from his time as the Bubbler, and a small few, like Nathaniel as Evillustrator, remember everything. Why this is the case, is another mystery I have yet to solve. Now Lila's case is most peculiar. Her first time as Volpina, she remembered everything she did, every action that took place, every single detail. From akumatization to de-akumatization and everything in between. However, the second time, she failed to remember her de-akumatization. The third time, she only remembered what she did as her akumatized self. Over time, her memory as her evil self has gotten worse. Now she barely remembers anything." Max stated.

"Lila, what do you remember from your last akumatization?" Alix asked.

"Well, I remember how I was akumatized. I was angry at Ladybug and Cat Noir for abandoning us in our hour of need. When I saw the akuma, I knew it was too late for me. By screaming, I hoped that you guys would be able to get away or restrain my evil self, but I know neither of those happened. Then something about teaming up with two villains, probably Mad Scientist and Queen Bee. Other than that, everything else is a blur." she lied.

"This is not good... In previous journals, you didn't remember anything about your akumatization and you mainly remembered some of what you did. This is unusual... I want to believe that you might be recovering and that Hawkmoth's hold on you is weakening, but I somehow doubt that's actually the case. And if my worst fear comes alive..." Max hesitated. "No, that can't happen! It won't!"

"Max, what's wrong?" Kim asked.

"She doesn't remember anything?" Marinette asked. She looked at Lila skeptically. "How can we be sure that's true?"

"Why don't you believe me?" Lila asked.

"You've done a number of sins, as Lila and as Volpina. I can't trust you in either form."

"You trusted me with creating many parts of the presentation."

"Well, I knew you wouldn't slack off. You may be a silver-tongued liar, but you're not a slacker."

"Yeah.. Wait, Hey!" Lila exclaimed.

"Was that really necessary?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked. "Just for that, you guys will be going up first tomorrow."

"Oi vey..." Marinette grumbled.

"And before we begin, may Nathaniel come up here?"

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"Not at all. Since you've looked over the next two units and yesterday's that we never finished, I was wondering if you would be willing to teach the class, since you seem to be proficient in what we're learning."

"What? You... you want me to teach them?"

"Yes. If you don't want to, I understand. I just thought I'd give you a chance to show us what you know."

And so, for the next three days, Nathaniel taught the class chemistry. He couldn't believe how proficient he was. Not only that, he was given a small bit of extra credit for it (which he told no one). Many girls had also started asking Adrien to the summer solstice (one person even more than once).

"Why does he continue to reject everyone?" Lila asked herself.

Adrien, away from the crowd, knew who he wanted to dance with, but he believed it would be impossible. If only he knew that Ladybug was so close to him.


	25. They Never Really Had No Choice

Towards the end of the week, things had gone from bad to worse. How exactly did this happen? Well, it started when everyone heard of the extremely terrible blackmail. Rose was supposed to be taking notes in Ms. Mendeleiev's class, but she was watching a live news report.

"Rose, put away your phone. You're going to be caught." Juleka whispered.

Rose was at a loss for words.

"Rose, do I need to lecture you on this matter again?" the teacher asked. "What could be so important that you..." She gasped and dropped the phone. Had it not been for the protective case around it, it would have broke.

"Ms. M? What's wrong?" Mylene asked.

She unplugged the headphones from Rose's phone and played the video. Marinette, Adrien and numerous others saw Mrs. Chamack with an image of the Eiffel Tower behind her.

"It appears that Hawkmoth has taken captive three different 'royals'" she spoke. A picture of the captives, tied to wooden posts at the top of the tower, was shown. "Mayor Andre Bourgeois, King of Rock-and-Roll Jagged Stone, and Prince Ali of Achu. Hawkmoth's servant, Queen Bee, has given these blackmailing words to our heroes.

A video clip showed Queen Bee flying close to where the captives were.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir. I know you're hiding somewhere, so listen up! If you don't surrender your Miraculouses to us by high noon, these three royals will be taken down the same way Antoinette was; beheaded! And Ling Xi, we know that you're a Miraculous holder. We know you're hiding along with Ladybug and Cat Noir. If you don't surrender your Miraculous to us, these captives will remain our prisoners forever! So face us and prove you're not a coward, Ling!" she commanded.

"And there you have it. The police are too scared to face Queen Bee, leaving our heroes in a bind. Where are they when we need them the most?" Nadja Chamack asked.

"Help us! Please!" Prince Ali exclaimed.

"What would these supervillains even want with us?" Jagged Stone asked.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, Ling Xi, come out of the shadows and face us!" Queen Bee exclaimed!

"No wonder Rose is upset. Her friend Prince Ali is about to be killed."

"Name-dropper." Alix coughed.

"No, it's true. I know him. The first day he arrived here, I joined him at the children's hospital that he volunteered at. Aside from Juleka, he's my best friend!" Rose gasped. She started sobbing.

"This... this has to be a trick. Another illusion." Marinette said.

Adrien looked at her sadly. "This isn't a trick, Marinette."

"How can you tell?"

"Several reasons. For starters, Lila, who we all is Volpina, is right over there." He pointed to Lila, who waved her hand. "And more importantly, there's a way to tell apart one of her illusions. Volpina's illusions never speak."

Chloe quietly gasped. Marinette looked at him curiously. "How do you know that?"

"When Lila was akumatized for the first time, she appeared to me in my room and tried to convince me that Ladybug was wrong about her not being a superhero. Shortly after Ladybug arrived, I hid myself under the desk. Ladybug didn't see that and fell for Volpina's trick. She believed the faux fox had kidnapped me. Cat Noir had known the truth and tried to explain, but she didn't listen. Watching them afar, Volpina threatened to destroy "me", convincing Ladybug to nearly give up her Miraculous. But the fake me never said a word. Thank goodness Cat Noir saw through her ruse, otherwise our heroes would have been defeated by now."

Marinette's eyes widened in surprise. "You're... you're right. It seems as if our heroes are about to walk into a trap."

"Unfortunately, they don't have a choice."

"No, they don't. And that's what scares me. Ms. Mendeleiev, do you remember when you called me paranoid? Well, now I have the right to be concerned."

They looked down in despair. If only they knew that the other superhero was in the room with them. In the most deserted corners of the school, Marinette and Adrien spoke to their kwamis.

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse. "I'm surprised you're not transforming immediately."

"Me, Cat and Master Fu are about to walk into a trap. Queen Bee said we have til high noon. Maybe I can think of a strategy." she explained.

"That would be hard to do while taking down notes in history class."

"If we don't think of something, these three captives are goners!"

"You notice how Chloe's father didn't say anything, or how Lila hasn't said a word?"

Marinette shrugged. "No, what of it?"

"What if the Lila in class is an illusion?" Tikki asked.

Marinette looked at Tikki skeptically. "But if that was the case, how would I expose the illusion as a fake?"

Meanwhile, Adrien was worried about the situation.

"I wonder why Miss Vixen isn't with the queen." Plagg said.

"I don't know. Something seems amiss." Adrien said. "I got a bad feeling about this."

Plagg noticed Adrien's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

Adrien's stomach churned. "I'm not sure."

During their next class, after they had finished their notes, they were working on their homework assignments. The teacher was out of the room copying pages of an upcoming test.

"Lila's been awfully quiet." Alix said.

Without saying a word, she stomped over to Lila and slapped her in the face. Normally, this would have gotten her into a lot of trouble, but Lila was an illusion. The students gasped as "Lila" dissolved into orange smoke and faded.

"She's an illusion." Sabrina said.

"So my instincts were right. Lila is not here. She's been akumatized yet again.

Nino scratched his head. "But if the illusion was here, where's Lila or Volpina, now?"

"I don't know... Probably with Queen Bee." Alya answered.

After gym class, it was 11:45. Fifteen minutes til the ultimatum expired.

"Still nothing. This a really tangled web of lies."

"We don't have time. We must transform!

"You're right. Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

Meanwhile in the massage parlor, Wayzz was extremely worried.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Wayzz asked.

"We don't have a choice, Wayzz. If we can't appear, those captives will never see liberty again. I won't have it." He stood up and breathed in and out. "Wayzz, scales on!"

He felt back-breaking pain through his spine. A green mask formed around his eyes. Green energy swarmed around his arms, forming a green jumpsuit with a dark green robe over it. Attached to the back of that robe was a green umbrella, which he used to fight with several decades ago. For the first time in years (maybe even decades), Master Fu had transformed into Jade Sensei.


	26. Approaching the Darkest Hour

It was about ten minutes before the ultimatum was to expire. Ladybug had contacted Cat Noir and told him to meet her on the roof of the Agreste Mansion. By the time she got there, he was already waiting.

"There you are. Now how are we going to stop them?" Cat Noir asked.

"We got Queen Bee up there. And Volpina is who knows where." she began. "If I tie my yoyo around her ankle, we'll bring Queen Bee down and then you can free the captives. No problem."

"If only it was that easy." a voice said.

"Master Fu?" they asked in unison. "Is that you?"

He smiled. "Yes, it's me, but while I'm transformed, you can refer to me as Jade Sensei."

"Alright then." Cat remarked.

Ladybug was confused. "Why do say that my plan won't be as easy as I believe it will be?"

His face turned grim. "Have you not seen Hawkmoth at the top of the Eiffel Tower?"

"We did, but I honestly think it's another one of Volpina's tricks. She did that the first time she was akumatized." Ladybug answered.

"Usually she doesn't use the same trick twice." Cat Noir said. "But you could be right, I could be right. That matters little here."

Jade got out his oil-paper umbrella weapon. "We must hurry. Time is of the essence."

Ladybug snuck behind a tree, then a lamppost, and then behind one of the legs of the tower. She got out her yoyo and threw it towards Queen Bee. The rope was supposed to latch around her ankle, but that Queen Bee was an illusion. Ladybug gasped and then the real Queen Bee blasted her down with Malevolence. In the meantime, Cat Noir was quickly climbing up the side of the tower in hopes that he wouldn't be noticed. Unfortunately, Volpina, who was hiding behind an illusion of a mailbox, blasted him down.

"You fools. Did you really think you could get away with your pathetic plan?" the fox asked.

"You lied to your classmates! You lied to your friends! How could you?!" Ladybug exclaimed in anger.

She threw her yoyo at Volpina, only to miss because her muscles felt weak after the attack. Queen Bee flew down and tried to snatch Ladybug's Miraculous, but the black-spotted hero kicked her down every time. Cat Noir dodged her orange energy blasts coming from Volpina's hands.

"Is that all you got?" he taunted.

"You underestimate me, Cat." she answered.

She suddenly tripped him up. She was about to take his Miraculous when Jade Sensei suddenly knocked Volpina unconscious by hitting her on the head with the umbrella.

"Jade, what took you so long?" Cat asked.

"I was trying to figure out how I could take down the enemy by surprise." he answered. "We better get to the top of the tower."

Cat Noir pole-vaulted to the top while Jade Sensei tied a rope around the stick of the umbrella, threw it upward and started climbing. For an old man, he climbed quickly. As Queen Bee continued to fight Ladybug, the latter was getting weaker as they raged on.

She smirked. "Give it up, little bug. You have no chance against me."

"You're going to eat those words, Miss High and Mighty!"

Queen Bee threw her spear at Ladybug, which she dodged, but then she picked it up and stabbed Ladybug in the back. She screamed and fell to the ground.

"You were saying?"

Ladybug feared it may be the end for her. She saw her memories of life flash by. "Adrien..." Ladybug fainted. Queen approached the knocked out hero, ready to steal her Miraculous. Cat Noir saw all of this and gasped in terror.

"Go. Save her." Jade ordered. "I'll handle this."

He jumped downwards, crashing on top of Queen Bee after falling through the sky. He punched her down and got out his staff.

"You'll never take her Miraculous!" Cat Noir exclaimed. Queen Bee ascended into the air while Jade worked to free the captives. As he undid the rope, he accidentally touched Mayor Bourgeois's arm, revealing him as an illusion. Jade gasped, then continued to free Jagged Stone.

"Oh thank you, old man." the rock and roll star said.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" said a voice.

"Hawkmoth." Jade identified. He whispered to Jagged Stone, "There's a rope on the other side, use it to get down."

The supervillain stepped into his line of sight as Jagged Stone ran away. "So you've finally decided to show up."

"If you thought I was a coward, then you were horribly mistaken."

Hawkmoth charged towards him, Jade tripped him up, which caused him to lose his balance and he held onto the edge. He quickly got back up and hit Jade with his cane before he could unbind the ropes around Prince Ali.

"You fight well for an old man."

"Aren't you old as well?"

"No! I'm only 43!" he exclaimed.

The battle between them raged on. Meanwhile, Queen Bee battled Cat Noir.

"Give it up, Cat Noir! It's no use trying to fight me and save your partner!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up, you winged parasite!" Cat Noir exclaimed.

He knocked her onto the ground. Her head spun. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and ascended into the air, flying away. Jade climbed down.

"He got away. Prince Ali is still being held captive."

"Oh no... Ladybug..."

Jade put his palm to Ladybug's back. "She's alive, but she's fading. Cat, call an ambulance, I will try and sustain her life force in the meantime."

Cat Noir dialed 112, while Master Fu tried his best to heal her. Eventually, the ambulance came and Ladybug was patched up. Much to Cat Noir's surprise (and relief), Ladybug never detransformed, even unconscious and injured. She eventually recovered, but the two had no idea where Hawkmoth (or Prince Ali) was.

Several hours later, a news update was broadcasted.

"At around noon at the Eiffel Tower, there was an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. It was revealed that one of the three captives, Mayor Andre Bourgeois, was actually an illusion. While Ladybug and Cat Noir faced Queen Bee and Volpina, a new turtle like hero, who calls himself Jade Sensei, faced off against Hawkmoth, who, for the first time, has appeared in the flesh. Why would he be doing this? What is he planning or trying to achieve? No one knows for certain, although it has been confirmed that Jagged Stone was freed, but Prince Ali is still missing in action. So where is he now? Is he still in Hawkmoth's clutches? If not, then where did he go?" Nadja Chamack asked.

"This is not good." Gabriel said to himself.

Sabine and Tom looked worried. Back at City Hall, Ladybug and Cat Noir were trying to figure out their next move. Due to Ladybug's jumpsuit, it was impossible to see the bandages on her back, but Cat Noir knew they were there. The sun had set and it was slowly turning to night.

"Are you sure that you're up for this?" Cat Noir asked. "It looks like this might be our last battle. Hawkmoth is who knows where, and wherever he is, his two servants aren't too far behind."

"I know, but we're evenly numbered. It's three against three. If I drop out, you guys will be outnumbered. I'm not running from this final battle." she stated.

Cat Noir looked at her. She was so stubborn, yet he loved her. He was tired of hiding his feelings for her.

"My lady, there's something I've wanted to..."

Suddenly Ladybug's yoyo started vibrating. She was getting a call from Jade Sensei.

"Jade, where have you been?" she asked.

"Trying to find Hawkmoth's location." Jade Sensei answered. "He's disappeared to Francoise Dupont, and that's also where Prince Ali is. Volpina and Queen Bee are there as well. Meet me at the front entrance."

"Will do." She hung up. "Come on, we better get going."

She started swinging herself forward on her yoyo. Cat Noir sighed and followed her.


	27. The Weight of the World

Author's Notes:

-I've decided to add Angst as a category to this story because of the events in this chapter and future events. Let me know what you of this.

The two superheroes arrived in front of Francoise Dupont. Jade Sensei was already waiting for them.

"Prince Ali must be inside there." said Jade Sensei.

"We should proceed with caution. This might be a trap." Ladybug said.

"You're probably right." Cat Noir said.

They barged in through the doors and looked around. No traps, no Hawkmoth, no Queen Bee or Volpina. Nothing.

"You're sure this is where Prince Ali and Hawkmoth are?" Cat Noir asked.

"Pretty sure." Jade Sensei answered.

"Help me, Ladybug!" a voice exclaimed.

"Ali!" Cat exclaimed.

They found him chained around a bench, and Cat Noir ran towards him. Suddenly Ladybug realized something.

"Cat Noir, don't!" she and Jade exclaimed at the same time.

He touched Ali, only to have him vanish. It was an illusion! Volpina emerged, grabbed his wrist and tried to snatch his Miraculous. Ladybug threw her yoyo in a way that hit her head, distracting her and Cat Noir took the opportunity to kick her down.

"Where's Prince Ali?!" Ladybug asked.

"You fools." Queen Bee said, stepping out into the light. Following her was Hawkmoth.

He spoke, "We released him hours ago, since I am a man of my word."

Ladybug looked at him angrily. "How can we trust your words?"

"What's the matter? You don't believe me?" he asked.

"It's true alright." Queen Bee said, flying into the air. She flew up and down in a circle before landing. "Free as a bird."

"She's telling the truth. I can sense it." Jade Sensei.

"You're smart, old man. But are you smart enough to turn back before you meet your fate?" Hawkmoth asked.

Volpina blasted him down, severely hurting him.

"Jade Sensei!" Ladybug exclaimed. "You're gonna pay for that!"

She charged towards Volpina, their weapons clashing against each other. Volpina created more clones of herself. Jade Sensei got up as Hawkmoth approached him.

"Malevolence!" Queen Bee exclaimed, firing a black beam from her spear.

Cat barely dodged. He needed a plan. If he could just get her comb, he'd be able to finish her. He tried to knock her down with his staff, but she was too fast for him. She fired Malevolence again, only for Jade Sensei to be hit by accident.

Hawkmoth and Jade Sensei fought each with their weapons, a cane and an umbrella. They fought with them as if they were swords.

"Why do you do this, Hawkmoth? You could have used your powers to help Paris!"

"I have my reasons! I don't need to explain myself to an old man! Especially one who will soon be dead!"

"What?!" the heroes gasped in unison.

Hawkmoth then fired a beam of darkness at him, which he barely dodged.

"What?! Since when could Hawkmoth do that?!" Ladybug exclaimed.

Hawkmoth smirked. "You underestimate the abilities of the Moth Miraculous, Ladybug."

"I don't get it. I thought he wanted the Turtle Miraculous." Cat Noir said, kicking down Queen Bee.

"You stupid cat. Jade Sensei's the Great Guardian, and we will be sure that the world never has a Great Guardian again!" Queen Bee said. "He has no successor. No heir to the throne. Master Fu's time in this world is over! Now, together! Fire at will!" Hawkmoth fired a beam of darkness, Volpina fired an orange beam at him. "Poison sting!"

Those three attacks hit him at once, sending him flying and knocking him into the wall.

"SENSEI!" Ladybug screamed.

Volpina created an illusion of a brick wall so they could detransform and recharge up. Hawkmoth fought against Cat Noir in the meantime. He knocked Cat Noir down, and he seemed to be unconscious. Meanwhile, Ladybug ran over to him.

He looked at her. "Ladybug..."

"Don't worry, Master. We'll get help."

"It won't matter. Nothing can save me. Ladybug, it is time for you to take my place. As the Great Guardian."

"What?! No, I'm... I'm not ready!"

"You must do it. If my Miraculous falls into the wrong hands, disaster will unfold."

Queen Bee and Volpina looked at Ladybug, who was kneeling on the ground by Jade Sensei's side.

"Master!" She began crying. "I can't do it! Not now, not like this!"

"You must. Take my bracelet. Become the Great Guardian. I know you can do it."

"No, Master! Master!"

He exhaled his last breath. The transformation was released. Ladybug stood there sobbing.

Hawkmoth smirked, then turned to his servants. "Quickly, get her now! While she's distracted!"

Ladybug took the bracelet and Wayzz was absorbed into it. She kept her main form, but if she wanted to, she could transform into a turtle themed superhero. But soon, Queen Bee tangled her up with her own yoyo and Volpina snatched the Turtle Miraculous, and quickly put it around her wrist.

Hawkmoth laughed at her futile attempts to escape. "Give it up, little bug. It's over."

Volpina held onto the yoyo. Queen Bee looked at Ladybug. "Hmm... I have an idea. Before we steal her earrings, how about I destroy her?"

The fox quipped, "How will you do that?"

"With a secret technique that I forced out of Pollen. It's something the Bee Miraculous wielder can do if they have the strength and malevolence to do so. It's very dangerous, but if it works, Ladybug will be done for and Cat Noir will be outnumbered and outmatched."

Hawkmoth smirked. "Go ahead and try it out."

Queen Bee ascended into the air a few feet. Her spear started glowing black, then slowly started glowing purple. She exerted her energy and her spear crackled with power. "Malevolence and Poison Sting, rise together and become one! Destroy your foe I command, destroy my foe where they stand!"

The different energies had merged as one. Ladybug gasped in terror. She didn't know she was going to die like this. "Any last words?" She stayed silent. Cat Noir woke up, trying to figure out what was happening. "No? Well then. Say goodnight, Ladybug!"

The energy was fired at her. Cat Noir ran towards her, fearing it would be too late. "Ladybug!"


	28. Of Successions and Thefts

"Cataclysm!"

Ladybug closed her eyes, believing it was the end. It never came. Cat Noir had used his power to try and hold back Queen Bee's attack. She opened her eyes.

"Cat Noir?"

"You will not hurt her!"

Queen Bee tried pushing back the energy further with her spear, but Cat Noir stood his ground. He moved forward and the attack backfired on them. It didn't kill them, but they were blasted into the wall.

Volpina and Hawkmoth slowly stood up, but they fainted from exhaustion after doing so. Queen Bee immediately passed out without even rising. Cat Noir untangled Ladybug from her yoyo and she took the Turtle Miraculous. Then he scooped up Ladybug in his arms, and ran off with her. Eventually, after getting to the rooftop of the Temple IV Paris Apartments (by which Cat Noir had three minutes left before detransforming), he set her down. She was still crying.

Cat Noir looked at the heroine he just saved. "Ladybug... What happened?"

"Master Fu was killed by the Triple Alliance's convergence attack. Hawkmoth used darkness, Volpina used her energy beams and Queen Bee finished him with Poison Sting. These attacks hit him all at once, and moments later... He died." she answered.

Cat Noir's ears dropped. "Now what do we do? Master Fu was the Great Guardian, and now he has no successor."

The black and red dressed heroine wiped away her tears. "I need you to get me the Miraculous book. Wherever you put it, take it back. Even if it means stealing from Mr. A."

"Why do you want it? It won't do us much good."

"Cat Noir..." His Miraculous beeped again. "There's something I never told you. On the day that Volpina was akumatized for the first time, I had found the Miraculous book. Tikki told me to give it to Master Fu, the Great Guardian. Upon meeting him, he asked me if I would take on the responsibility of training to become the Great Guardian. I agreed to this. Master Fu asked me to keep it secret, but now that he's gone... I must fulfill the role of Great Guardian. That's why I need the book back. I must use it to finish my training."

His Miraculous beeped. One minute left. "Ok, I'll get the book. Somehow. I'll call you once I get it and we'll rendez-vous so you can pick it up at a later time."

"Thank you Cat Noir. For saving me. I owe you my life."

"No problem, my lady. What are friends for?"

Beep. Cat Noir detransformed into Adrien. Ladybug looked away to not see his true identity. She was tempted to look back, but she didn't. "I trust you, kitty. I'll see you later."

She swung away, leaving Adrien on the rooftop. Plagg, who was on top of Adrien's head, finally spoke, "Master Fu's gone?! Oh no... How could I have failed to notice this tragedy?!"

"Well, I was unconscious. Plagg, were you aware of what was happening those three different times I was under mind control by an akumatized villain?" Adrien asked.

He landed in Adrien's hand. "Yes, I was completely aware of everything you were forced to say and do. Whether you remember it or not."

"Then how come you're surprised? Wouldn't you have known he died before I woke up?"

"Everything happened so fast." He sighed sadly. "I feel bad for Wayzz.'"

"Well, we have a job to do." He handed Plagg a piece of Camembert. "Eat up, little buddy."

Plagg hid in Adrien's vest as he went down the apartment building. Later, he detransformed in his room. He couldn't believe he went through the trouble of getting back the book, only to have to steal it... again.

"I can't believe we're doing this again." Plagg moaned.

"Just open the safe." Adrien commanded.

Plagg did as Adrien said and opened the safe. He grabbed the book, and shut the safe. The two went back to his room. He set the Miraculous Book down on his desk.

"Won't you be facing father's wrath later?"

"That doesn't matter. Ladybug needs this book more than he does. Besides, he'll never find out that I'm Cat Noir."

Plagg looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"Paws-tive. Plagg, claws out!"

He transformed, grabbed the book and called Ladybug.

"Hello?" she asked wearily.

"I got the Miraculous book. Where you do want to meet up?"

"Meet me at the top of the Arc de Triomphe."

"Alright. I'll see you there."

He went to the Arc de Triomphe and gave Ladybug a backpack with the book inside. Ladybug was still crying a little bit by the time she arrived.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Ladybug... I... I know you're upset. I've been crying too. But we can't let this stop us."

She wiped away her tears. "You're right. If we let this bring us down, we won't be able to face Hawkmoth, Queen Bee, Volpina or any of the akumatized villains."

"If you don't mind me asking... Why did Master Fu choose you to be his successor?"

"To be honest..." She hesitated. "I'm not sure. With three of the seven Miraculouses in evil hands, his options were limited. Perhaps he choose me because of my wits and quick thinking. But we may never know."

"We're outnumbered."

"We don't know if Hawkmoth will show himself in public again."

Cat Noir looked at her, having no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"I think the only reason he did that was that he could take the Turtle Miraculous for himself."

"I thought he only wanted our Miraculouses."

"Hawkmoth... He's a tricky one. We still don't know anything about him or his true intentions."

"Well, no matter what happens, we'll continue fighting. If not for ourselves, for this city, the country, the world, and for the ones we love."

He took his hands in hers. She tried to smile.

"Yes. We won't give up. No matter what."

Sometime later, she left for home. She put the Miraculous book down under her pillow (one she didn't rest her head on) and detransformed.

"It's been a long day." Marinette said. She looked at the Turtle Miraculous on her left wrist.

"You don't have to resume training right now." Wayzz said.

"Get some right, Marinette." Tikki ordered. "Please. You're really tired."

Wayzz looked sadly at Marinette. "Mistress... Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine." she called.

"Marinette!" her mother called.

"Hide guys." she ordered.

They hid behind her pillows. Marinette went to bed. She heard her parents open the trapdoor.

"Oh, she's sound asleep. At least she's safe." Sabine said. "Should we ask her where she was when she wakes up?"

"Nah. I'm sure everything went fine." Tom answered.

She heard them go downstairs. _Nothing is fine._ Marinette thought, before drifting into a dreamless sleep.


	29. Nobody Trusts Chloe

The next day, everyone was wearing green in honor of the fallen hero, Jade Sensei. That is everyone except Lila and Chloe, who claimed they didn't know about it. Meanwhile, the summer solstice gala was coming up pretty soon. It was on Friday, June 17th, a few days before the actual solstice. Many people were excited. Adrien would have been excited, had it not been for the fact that nearly every girl was trying to get him to be their date. He had been asked out countless times by the girls that adored him. And some were more persistent then others. He was in Ms. Bustier's classroom, drinking some water and trying to calm down.

"Come on, Adrien. I can tell something's bothering you. So spill." Nino said.

The blond haired model sighed. "It's about the summer solstice gala. Everyone's asking me out to the dance."

"Dude, you're lucky."

"The problem is I'm not interested in any of them." he said. "I'm not in love with any of those crazed fan girls. And don't even get me started on Chloe."

Nino looked at Adrien curiously. "She asked you out more than once?"

He frowned. "Nine times actually."

"Adrikins!" Chloe said.

"Oh dear..." he muttered.

"When are you going to realize that those fan girls can't compete with me?" she asked.

"Chloe, for the tenth time, I'm not going to the dance with you." Adrien answered. "I'm probably not even going to the dance."

She walked away, growling softly.

"Did you say that just to get her off your back?"

"No, Nino. I'm being serious."

"Why? Because your control-freak father won't let you?"

"Oh I wouldn't have to worry about that. He'll be out of town that weekend for three days because of a business meeting in Orleans."

"So why are you declining?"

"Because everyone keeps insisting me to get a date and/or be my date."

Alix walked into the room. "You could go single. No one says you have to have a date."

"True." he said.

"Why not go with a group of friends?" Mylene asked. "That's what Rose and Juleka are doing."

"I need some time to think this over." Adrien said.

"The gala is in... how many weeks?" his best friend asked.

"Two weeks." Alya answered. "You should know, especially since you're treating me to dinner beforehand."

"Right." Nino said.

"What's going on?" Marinette asked.

"Adrien is contemplating on whether or not he's doing to the summer solstice gala." Nino answered.

"I would go, it's just... Everyone wants me to go with them. Why am I such a girl magnet?" he asked.

"Well, there's a lot of reasons why those fan girls are into you. Some think that you're hot, some know that you're fabulously rich. But you know what they're blind to? What I see that they don't? They don't see that you're a friendly, intelligent, funny and honest sweetheart. I don't know if you're in love with anyone, but if you find a girlfriend, I hope she sees all of those things."

Adrien felt breathless. His face got turned warm. "Uh... Thank you."

"You're welcome." she said. "Adrien, if you don't mind, I would like to go with you to the summer solstice gala as friends. I won't kiss you, I won't flirt with you. The closest I'll probably get is wrapping my arms around your neck." Adrien looked at her. "You know, for the slow dance. Have you never had a slow dance?"

"Uh... once. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh. Ok then."

"Should I go with her?" he asked.

"Dude, you totally should!" Nino answered.

"You won't regret it!" Alya chimed in.

"Alright, I'll be going with Marinette then."

Marinette smiled. "Thank you. I'm really looking forward to it!"

Chloe growled. Lila grumbled a piece of paper in her hand. Later on, they were on a rooftop in their supervillain identities.

"I don't get it." Volpina said. "How does Marinette get Adrien to go to the dance with her?"

"I know. This makes no sense!" Queen Bee exclaimed. She looked at her partner in crime curiously. "Are you jealous?"

"I am. Is that a bad thing? I asked him to the dance too." she answered.

The queen scoffed. "Adrien's mine. Or at least, he will be."

"Why do you deserve him? I don't even think your feelings for him are genuine!"

"Not genuine? He's been my friend since we were little kids. I know him better than anyone else! And I know that he has no interest in you!"

"You sure about that? It seemed like he was interested in me when I falsely told him I was a Miraculous wielder."

"You lied about being a Miraculous wielder to impress him? That's low."

"Although now I actually am one. You have no chance with him. He's rejected you ten times to the gala."

 _How long are you two going to continue arguing about this?_ Pollen asked Chloe.

"Oh be quiet, Pollen." Volpina looked puzzled. "Pollen's getting tired of our argument."

"Oh really? Trixx is enjoying seeing the debate."

"Perhaps our kwamis can help us settle this argument. Pollen, stripes off."

"Trixx, ears down."

They detransformed. Trixx and Pollen looked at each other than at their respective wielders.

"Ok, we need to determine who should be the one to pursue the affection of Adrien Agreste." Pollen stated.

"This will be interesting..." Trixx commented.

Meanwhile, Marinette was shifting back and forth in between reading the Miraculous book, sketching out a design for her gala dress and working on her homework.

"You know, juggling all these things isn't a good idea." Wayzz said.

"But I don't have time. My parents are leaving at six o'clock for dinner and they're expecting me to run the bakery because three people called out for takeout orders." Marinette said.

"What Wayzz is saying is that you're spreading yourself too thin." Tikki chimed in.

Marinette drew a few lines onto her design. "What makes you say that?"

"You're writing some fashion ideas onto your geography assignment." Tikki answered.

"What?" She realized that her paper had several ideas for her gala dress on it.

"Oh man..." She erased the fashion ideas on the paper.

Wayzz looked at Tikki with a look of sorrow. "I don't think she's handling the pressure of being Guardian well."

"Well, she already had her school life, homework, helping out with the bakery as needed, protecting the city as Ladybug, fashion designed and finding time to spend with her friends. Now she has the burden of Great Guardianship, which she wasn't ready for."

"She is also the youngest Miraculous wielder to be the Great Guardian at only 15 years of age."

"I'll get through this... Somehow." Marinette said.

The next day, Kim forced Chloe to sign an agreement saying that she wouldn't take any pictures of him on the night of the gala or if he was caught in one by accident, that she would not post it to any social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and the like.

"She's not going to keep her word." Alya stated.

"You think she'll break her promise?" Kim inquired.

"Probably." Nino said.

"Ok, how many of you think Chloe's untrustworthy and will break her promise if she signs the contract?" Kim asked.

Nearly every student raised their hand immediately. Juleka mentioned something to Rose and she slowly rose her left arm.

"Wow, even Rose doesn't trust Chloe." Lila remarked.

Rose tried not to sob. "I don't know if she will. You see, well, I asked her to take a letter to Prince Ali. She said she would be seeing him... and... and..."

"Then she up the letter into the pieces and told Rose that Prince Ali would want nothing to do with her." Marinette finished. The class looked at her strangely. "I was there. I saw everything. And later on, she was akumatized because of Chloe's cruelty."

"Great. Everybody hates for me except for Adrien." Chloe said.

"Pretty much." Alya quipped.

"Why do you need me to sign this?" she asked Kim. "Maybe Alix won't even be there."

"Oh I will be there. I'll be dressed in my best attire. And if Kim doesn't show up by 8:10, he'll face a punishment even more humiliating." Alix answered.

"Do you even have a dress?"

"Oh, I'll find something."

Kim turned back to the blond haired menace. "Just sign the contract."

Chloe sighed. "Fine."

She signed the contract, unhappy that her classmates didn't believe her. She softly sighed. She failed to get Adrien to be hers... but on the bright side, he trusted her. He was the only one who trusted her, but he didn't love her. And she knew this.


	30. Summer Solstice Gala

After two weeks of juggling homework, preparing for tests, facing akumatized baddies (as well as Queen Bee and Volpina), and guardian training, Marinette had finally gotten her outfit done. Her dress was a red ballroom gown with black spots to resemble Ladybug. She wore long red gloves, black flats and tied her hair into a bun held up with a red ribbon.

"You look beautiful, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed. "Are you ready for your night with Adrien?"

"Almost." she answered. She sprayed some perfume on her wrists. "I know I'm not supposed to flirt with him, but if I can give subtle hints to Adrien, maybe he'll actually fall for me."

She put the Miraculous book in her special combination lock briefcase and put it behind her cat pillow on her bed. Wayzz was sleeping there as well. She wanted to forget her responsibilities for one night, and she had even thought of leaving Tikki here as well, but she had to be prepared in case of an emergency. She grabbed her phone, a black handbag purse and Tikki flew in. She was ready for the gala.

Meanwhile, Adrien was getting into his tuxedo. Usually when he wore suits and tuxes, he wasn't very happy, but he was this time, he was excited. Plagg seemed a little bit worried.

"What's the matter, Plagg?" he asked, tying his green bow tie.

"I'm worried you're dad is going to find out you're Cat Noir." the black cat answered.

Adrien smiled. "That won't happen, Plagg. He's in Orleans, remember?"

"What if Nathalie or the Gorilla notices you're missing?"

"He's already asleep, and Nathalie rarely enters my room." He looked out the window. "Now all that's left is to enjoy myself with Marinette."

"I still can't believe you agreed to this."

"Hey, it's better than Chloe. Even if Marinette isn't Ladybug, I'm still going to have a great time." He looked at the clock. 7:50pm. The dance started in ten minutes. "Well, I better get my princess and head to the ball. Plagg, claws out!"

Meanwhile, Marinette stood in the living room with her parents. They already took pictures of Marinette, although the young designer was getting nervous.

"Where is Adrien?" she asked. "He should have..."

The doorbell rang. Marinette answered it. Adrien was there. He looked at Marinette. _Oh wow, she looks gorgeous._

"Good evening, Marinette. Ready for the gala?"

"Yes. Bye Mom, bye Dad! I'll be back at about midnight."

"Have fun Marinette!" they said in unison.

They went down the stairs and exited the bakery. Marinette was surprised. "Where's your chauffeur?"

"He got sick. Hope you don't mind walking a bit."

"Good thing I choose not to wear heels."

They met up with Nino and Alya at the entrance of the school. Alya was wearing a one-strap ocean blue maxi dress with a golden-colored bracelet with blue gems and Nino was wearing a green suit.

"Adrien, you made it!" Nino exclaimed. "Nice to see ya!"

"Hey Nino, hey Alya." Adrien greeted.

Alya had a curious look on her face. "Where's Adrien's chauffeur?"

"Adrien told me that he was sick." Marinette answered.

"Ok... Let's get going. The night's still young!" Alya proclaimed.

Kim did not want to be here. He had lost the bet to Alix and now he had to pay for it. Wearing a long red dress and heels with his hair in a ponytail, he walked towards the school in alleys to make sure no one could see him prior to the gala. Eventually he found Alix waiting at the front entrance. He expected her to laugh at his outfit. Instead she smirked.

"Well, you look beautiful tonight, Hercules."

Kim looked closer at Alix. He had to blink twice to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. She did say she would find something to wear, but she didn't specify that something was a suit. She had her hair down and wore a suit with a red bow tie.

"Wow, you're devilishly handsome."

"Thanks." Alix said. "Where's Max?"

He walked up to them, dressed. "Right here. And... wow."

"What is it?" Kim asked.

"I'm not sure what's stranger; Alix in a suit or Kim in a dress." He chuckled. "I'm sorry Kim, I'm trying not to laugh, but you look so silly.

"I'm surprised Alix didn't laugh at me as I walked up the stairs."

"Oh, I did. Just very quietly." She snickered loud enough for both of them to hear her.

Meanwhile, in a deserted corner of the school, Lila and Chloe were drinking fruit punch and conversing about various topics. Chloe wore a black and yellow horizontally striped dress with black elbow length gloves and black heels. Lila's dress was mostly orange with a white hem. She wore short white gloves and white dress slippers.

"You swear you'll help me find any guy I want if I help you win Adrien?" Lila asked.

"Yes, I will." Chloe answered, sipping some punch. "You know who your new man will be?"

"Not yet, but I'll let you know."

Chloe looked at Adrien and Marinette. She tried hard not to get up and take Adrien away, but Marinette had Adrien. At least, for now... Meanwhile, Adrien was speaking with Marinette as the two ate macaroons.

"So, you snuck out because your father is at a business meeting in Orleans?" Marinette asked.

"Pretty much. If he knew about this dance, he probably wouldn't even let me go here." Adrien answered.

"Your father... is... is he always this strict?"

"Pretty much. Before this year, I couldn't even go to public school because my father was too scared for me to leave the house. Did I tell you how Nino was akumatized?"

She looked at him curiously. "No. What happened?"

"Well, we're seeing progress." Nino said as he danced with Alya.

"But we're not seeing any signs that he's attracted to her. We need to speed things up." Alya said.

"You're right. But how?"

Alya looked at the DJ. "I think I've got an idea."

They got off the dance floor and walked up to the DJ as the next song started. Alya walked up to the DJ.

"Hello. Would you be able to play Kiss the Girl? The version by Ashley Tisdale?"

"Sorry, don't have that on the list." he answered. "Now please leave me alone. I'm very busy."

They walked away from the DJ, feeling disappointed.

"Now what?"

"I have an idea. First we knock out the DJ, then you play this record of instrumental Disney songs on it."

"Where did you get this?"

"My dad bought this a long time ago. Kiss The Girl is the 5th song on there. Let's take out the DJ and commence with the romance."

Nino looked at Alya like she was crazy. "Isn't that kinda scandalous?"

"Do you want them to kiss or not?"

"Of course I do! That's what we all want!"

"Exactly! So let's get to it."


	31. Go On and Kiss the Girl

While Nino and Alya commenced their plan, Nathaniel, wearing a suit with an orange tie, was speaking to Rose, Juleka, Mylene and Ivan. Ivan wore a suit without a tie (since he was really bad at tying them), while Mylene wore a yellow dress with various floral patterns on it. Rose wore a bright pink dress with a pink rose bud on her right shoulder and light pink gloves. Juleka wore a black dress with black flats and a silver necklace with an onyx pendant.

"So you really have a C in chemistry?" Ivan asked.

"I sure do." Nathaniel answered. "Who knows? Maybe I'll even be able to get it up to a B before the semester ends."

"Wait a minute..." Rose said. "Is this... An instrumental of Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid?"

"It is." Juleka answered. "This is strange..."

Sabrina, wearing a sea green dress and matching gloves, stood alone in the hall. She felt lonely. She also thought about how mean Chloe and Queen Bee were. The red haired girl thought they were similar. She recalled Marinette's accusation when she found the HM letter...

Eventually, Kiss the Girl started playing and Alya sang the lyrics.

"There you see her... Sitting there across the way... She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her... And you don't know why but you're dying to try, you wanna kiss the girl."

"Kiss the Girl?" Lila asked herself. "Why would they be playing this?"

"You wanna dance, Marinette?" Adrien asked.

"Sure. Why not?" she answered.

Suddenly Lila realized what was happening and ran off as Marinette and Adrien starting ballroom dancing.

"Sha la la la la, my oh my, look's like the boy's too shy. Ain't gonna kiss the girl. Sha la la la la, ain't that sad. It's such a shame too bad. You're gonna miss the girl. Go on and kiss the girl."

Everyone dancing on the floor got with a partner, whether they be in love or just friends. These pairs included, but weren't limited to; Mylene and Ivan, Alix and Kim, Sabrina and Max, Juleka and Nathaniel, and Marinette and Adrien. (Technically Alix and Kim were more so frenemies, but they tossed their rivalry aside tonight)

"Now's your moment. Floating in a blue lagoon." Nino changed the disco lights to blue to match with the song. "Boy you better do it soon. No time will be better."

Everyone got the memo and gave Adrien and Marinette more space to dance. Adrien looked at Marinette eyes, which sparkled with happiness. Alya began singing the chorus again.

"Something seems strange." Chloe said. She looked at Nino at the DJ station, Alya singing, and finally she saw Marinette and Adrien dancing together. She growled loudly, yet no one could hear her. Lila then whispered something in her ear. She gasped. "That's scandalous!"

"Exactly. You should do something about it." Lila said.

"I will."

"This is a bad idea." a voice said.

"I don't care." she responded.

Alya gestured for Rose to come up to the stage where she sang. She even called on Juleka to come. She handed them mics and they knew what to do. Alya got some backup singers. Almost everyone wanted to see Marinette and Adrien kiss. As the three girls sang the chorus for the last time, Adrien leaned towards Marinette, not even thinking about his crush on Ladybug.

"Go on and kiss the girl." Alya sang, ending the song.

A second later, a black beam came towards Alya, knocking her into the wall. Nino gasped and ran to her side. Everyone gasped and saw Queen Bee standing had her spear charged with black energy.

"You're gonna pay for that! Malevolence!" The black energy was fired at Marinette.

"Watch out!" Adrien pushed Marinette out of the way, accidentally lip-locking with Marinette. She felt stunned, but Adrien swooped her up and ran away with her, trying to get her to safety.

"Alya, are you ok?" Nino asked.

"I'm..." She coughed. "Fine."

He carried Alya away as everyone tried to escape. Alix dragged Kim along by the wrist.

"Remind me, why am I saving you?" the girl in a suit asked.

"Cause you like me." the cross-dressing boy answered.

"You're a pain, you know that?"

As the students fled and Queen Bee started pursuing Marinette, Nino was at Alya's side.

"Are you alright? Is anything broken?"

"I'm fine."

He helped Alya up. "Where did Queen Bee go?"

"I don't know. I hope Marinette's ok..."

Eventually, Marinette and Adrien lost Queen Bee.

"Oh my gosh. Adrien, I'm..."

"It's alright. I know the kiss was an accident. It's ok."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Completely." Adrien answered. "Here, hide in this classroom. I'll get backup."

Marinette did as she was told and Adrien ran off. "Why is your date leaving you behind?" Tikki asked, flying out of Marinette's purse.

"I don't know, but I might as well use this as an opportunity to say, 'Tikki, spots on!'"

She transformed into Ladybug. Meanwhile, Adrien stood outside the school with his kwami.

"I hope Marinette will be safe from Queen Bee." Adrien said. "She's a really sweet girl..."

"Let me guess. The knight in shining armor has feelings for his princess." Plagg teased.

"What? No! Marinette's just a friend!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"This is no time for bad jokes. Plagg, claws out!"

Meanwhile, Alix and Kim eventually found refuge from Queen Bee in a deserted hallway close to the library.

"I think we're safe here." Alix said.

"I hope you're right." Kim commented. "Queen Bee is scary. And Volpina will probably follow shortly."

"But Lila didn't seem angry or sad. At least, not when I glanced at her."

"She could be hiding her emotions, like Ms. Mendeleiev did."

"And it was because of that, that you're wearing a dress."

Kim looked at her curiously. "So why did you decide to wear a suit?"

"Well, honestly speaking, I hate wearing dresses. I don't think I look good in them at all. The last time I wore a dress was for Jalil's graduation ceremony. Since I'm a tomboy, I only had one dress in my wardrobe. It was a black V-neck dress that reached to my knees. As for accessories, I had to borrow my mom's heels, which were way too big for me, two pseudo gold bracelets, and she curled up my hair. She said I looked beautiful, but I felt ridiculous. In the time I wore this ensemble, which was over seven hours, I was insulted not once, but thrice with the term slut." Alix answered.

Kim gasped. "You're kidding!"

"I'm not kidding. First it was Chloe. No surprise, cause she hates me. Second was my own brother, when were out of earshot of our parents. And third was a random waiter who wasn't even serving us at the restaurant we went to after the ceremony to celebrate his graduation. Feeling ashamed, I swore to never wear a dress again. Besides, I look much better in a suit."

"I don't you're as bad in a dress as you think you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Even if you do look handsome in a suit." He looked at Max rushing into the library. "Looks like almost everyone has chosen the library as their hiding place."

"Well, it's actually one of the safest places to be. Unless you're Chloe."

The two laughed. "So where do you think she is?"

"Don't know, don't care. Didn't she break your heart?"

Kim sighed sadly. "She did. I feel like I should have seen it coming, but I didn't..."

"You got over her, didn't you?"

"I did. Truth be told, I have a new crush... But... I'm worried she'll turn me down."

"Why? Is she cruel?"

"Not entirely. Other than the fact that she made me wear a dress." Kim immediately covered his mouth as Alix gasped.

 _Why did I just say that?_ he thought.

She looked at him in disbelief. "You... you like me?"

Then he kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her neck, and in turn, she deepened the kiss and put her arms around his waist.

"Two things; One, don't tell anyone about this. And two, kiss me again."

"You like me. I knew it all along."

She nodded and he kissed her again. No one was supposed to know about this secret relationship. Unfortunately, someone (who wasn't a Miraculous wielder), happened to see everything.


	32. Flames of Vengeance

Cat Noir called Ladybug on the rooftop of the school, but she was already there.

"Hey my lady. Has everyone gotten to safety?"

"I believe so."

He looked over at her bun. "Your hair looks beautiful. Any reason?"

"I was at a ball, dancing with a charming young lad."

Cat Noir secretly felt jealous. "Who was it?"

"I'm not telling!" She blushed, thinking of Adrien.

They heard the voice of Queen Bee from afar. "Marinette, where are you hiding?!"

"She seems to have it in for Marinette."

"But why?"

Ladybug looked at him with curiosity and fear. "I don't know. But we have to stop her."

They jumped down and faced Queen Bee. Volpina soon entered the scene.

Cat Noir pinned Volpina to the ground. "Really? No akumatized special of the day?"

"Nope. Just the bee and the fox." Volpina smirked. She kicked Cat Noir off of her and proceeded to fight Ladybug. Queen Bee fired Malevolence at Cat Noir, barely dodging the attack. Suddenly, they heard fast-paced music. They all turned and saw the DJ playing fast tunes on the record. Why he was there, nobody really knew.

"Music?" Ladybug asked.

They all shrugged it off and continued fighting.

Cat Noir held back Queen Bee's staff with his staff. "So what's the deal? Why are you after Marinette?"

"Why do you care?" she asked. "She doesn't mean anything to you."

Cat Noir growled and punched her in the face.

"Don't you guys know when to quit?!" Ladybug asked.

"There ain't no rest for the wicked." Volpina retorted.

The tempo quickened. The red and black dressed superheroine grabbed the fox Miraculous. Volpina detransformed into Lila and she was knocked out by a kick to the stomach, sending her flying into the wall. Ladybug tried breaking the necklace, but she saw an orange aura and gasped. She dropped the necklace.

"What's the matter?" Queen Bee asked. "Are we too much for you to handle?"

"That is false! You may as well give up now, Queen Bee! Marinette is gone! Your chance at revenge is futile!" Ladybug exclaimed.

Queen Bee took back the Miraculous.

"You may have won tonight, but this is not over Ladybug! One day, I'll be the one taking your Miraculous! Same goes for you, Tomcat!"

She grabbed an unconscious Lila, threw a smoke bomb and vanished. Queen Bee, Lila and the Fox Miraculous were gone.

"I can't believe it. We were so close to ultimately defeating Lila! I mean, Volpina!"

Ladybug began thinking to herself briefly about Lila and her necklace. The crowd of students saw the superheroes down below.

"My lady, may I have this dance?" Cat Noir asked, taking her hand.

Ladybug sighed. "I guess one dance wouldn't hurt."

As the two danced off into the night (before running off and detransforming into their civilian forms), Queen Bee took Lila to Hawkmoth's lair within the Notre Dame. Luckily, he wasn't there.

"That was too close." Trixx commented.

"Did Ladybug see you?" the black and yellow supervillain asked.

She flew to her unconscious master. "I don't think so."

"I'm worried that she might be suspicious." Queen Bee put the necklace around Lila's neck.

"Queen Bee, what happened?"

She explained the situation to Hawkmoth.

"This does not bode well. If Ladybug finds out that Lila willingly works for me, it will be disastrous! Next time, think ahead before plotting your revenge!"

She bowed to him. "Yes, master."

Lila moaned. "Oh... What happened?"

Queen Bee detransformed into Chloe. "Ladybug stole your Miraculous, so I quickly stole it back and fled the scene."

"Honestly, I'm surprised she did that, considering that she hates you." Trixx commented.

"Did you have to be so irrational?" Pollen asked.

"If I'm going to get revenge on Marinette, I'm going to need a new plan. A flawless one."

Two days later, Ladybug battled Volpina on the rooftops.

"Why do you continue to do this, Lila?"

"Being evil is so fun! It gives me the chance to destroy you!"

Ladybug dodged another orange energy beam. "Just give me your necklace so I can free you!"

She turned around and held a necklace in her right hand. "If you want my necklace so badly, go ahead and take it!" She discarded the necklace and Ladybug ran after it. She smashed it but she didn't see an akuma. Volpina continued laughing.

"You... you're willingly working for Hawkmoth?!" Ladybug screamed.

The genuine fox smirked. "So you figured it out, eh? Everyone at my high school thinks I'm just a victim. You can't unravel this web of lies, little bug!"

"You're an evil Miraculous wielder! You're a traitor!"

"You can't prove anything." Queen Bee appeared. "Oh, Queen Bee. How did it go?"

"Lovely. Sweet sweet destruction." Sirens could be heard. "Nothing can stop the flames of vengeance."

"Flames of vengeance?"

The two supervillains vanished. Ladybug ran after the fire truck. _Oh no. What happened? Who was hurt? Lila's truly Volpina. What did Queen Bee mean by...?_ She suddenly stopped and gasped aloud.

"No..."

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was in flames. Tom and Sabine, were watching in sadness and horror. Almost the entire building was burned down.

"Lucky charm!" She conjured a coffee mug. Then she threw it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" The fire was still going. Lucky Charm had failed.

 _I don't understand. How is this possible? Who would take out my family's bakery and home? And why?_

She thought back to when Alix's ribs were cracked. The damage was caused by a Miraculous wielder (Volpina), and it was harder for her Miraculous power to restore damage done by Miraculous holders. Since she was fighting the real Volpina, she knew it had to be Queen Bee. But why would Queen Bee be after Marinette? The only one who really hated her... was... She gasped again.

"Chloe Bourgeois."

She jumped down and detransformed. Marinette walked up to her parents.

"Marinette, you're alright." Tom said, hugging her.

"The bakery... Has been destroyed. I asked Ladybug for help, but her powers failed to restore things. What do we do now?" Marinette asked.

"We can ask Mrs. Chamack if she'll let us stay there. Unfortunately, her apartment is very small." Tom muttered.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll just head over to Alya's." Marinette said.

"We'll get things back to normal." Sabine said. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

Marinette walked away as her parents went over to Mrs. Chamack's apartment. But Marinette never went to the Cesarie Mansion. Instead, she was on the rooftops. She tried to study on the Miraculous book, but she couldn't focus. She was seething with rage. She wanted Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi to suffer. She was going to make the secret supervillain duo pay, one way or another. Eventually, she fell asleep, cradling the precious book in her arms.

Tikki was wide awake, watching over her chosen. "I'm worried about her."

"Even in disaster she continues to try and become a full-fledged Guardian." Wayzz stated. "I also can't help but feel an aura of negative energy around her..."


	33. Running From the Truth

The following day at school, Ms. Mendeleiev was running very late, and class should have started by now. If Nathaniel had her flashdrive, he would have tried to teach the class, but he didn't, so he just stayed put. Lila was absent as she said she was sick (which verified to be true by Nino, who saw her that morning). Marinette was very sad and tired. What's worse is that she started hearing voices.

 _Destroy her..._ it told her. _Just destroy her, and her no good friend._

"The Dupain Cheng bakery's been destroyed?" Adrien asked.

"This can't be!" Alya exclaimed.

Nino nodded sadly. "Unfortunately it's true..."

"It went up in smoke." Max answered.

"It really is a shame that the bakery has been destroyed." Chloe lied.

Marinette clinched her fist. "That's a lie and you know it."

The blond haired menace looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She stood up. "You destroyed my family's bakery and home. You're the evil Bee Miraculous holder Queen Bee, and you and Volpina, who willingly works for Hawkmoth as the Fox Miraculous wielder, aided Hawkmoth in the death of Jade Sensei!"

Chloe was tempted to gasp. Instead she exclaimed, "That is so not true! My coworker's just a victim of Hawkmoth!"

"You liar! You deserve to suffer!"

"I deserve nothing of that sort."

 _Destroy her, Marinette._

Marinette glared at Chloe with daggers in her eyes. "Admit you and Lila are supervillains!"

"You're crazy!" Chloe exclaimed.

Suddenly Marinette dashed towards Chloe and slapped her in the face. Everyone gasped as they started fighting. Alya started filming the whole scene while several of the students (mainly Alix and Sabrina) cheered Marinette on. Adrien was very worried. He didn't want to see his friends fight. At first, Alya thought Marinette may have been akumatized, but after a minute of them fighting, she realized that her best friend showed no signs of being under Hawkmoth's control. Eventually, the students realized this was way out of hand, but there was nothing they could do. After about ten minutes, Chloe's blond hair was loose and messy from the fight. Her face was covered in bruises and she felt pain in her jaw. Marinette had a scrape on her upper right arm, but she was mostly undamaged. Even without her Miraculous powers, she was skilled in hand to hand combat. Chloe fell to her knees.

"You don't deserve this comb."

She took Chloe's comb just as Ms. Mendeleiev walked in.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! What is the meaning of this?!" the teacher angrily demanded.

"Chloe is Queen Bee and Lila willingly works for Hawkmoth." she answered.

"Enough! Marinette, you have lost your mind! You're not only paranoid, you're also delusional and insane. Now give Chloe her comb back!"

"But..."

"Now!"

She reluctantly gave Chloe her comb back, which she promptly put back into her hair.

"Nathaniel, come forth."

He did so. She got out a pair of handcuffs.

"Cuff her to the sink." She pointed to the sink where Marinette had washed chemicals out her eyes.

"Do I have to...?"

"Do it!"

He grabbed her and handcuffed her right hand. He hesitated. "I'm sorry, Marinette." He then cuffed her to the sink.

"You're in a lot of trouble, young miss." Mendeleiev glared at Marinette.

"Is this really necessary?" she asked.

"It's to make sure you don't run away before you're traded off to the authorities." She started dialing her landline phone. "Hello, Parisian Police Department."

The class just sat there in silence. Alya was silently crying, Nino was trying to reassure her, and Adrien... He felt conflicted. He wasn't sure what to believe. Chloe secretly smirked. Not only did she manage to prevent her and Lila from being exposed as Miraculous holders, she made Marinette look bad in the process.

 _Oh my gosh, this is really bad. If I get arrested, Hawkmoth will take over Paris! Tikki, if you can hear me, help me out!_

When Lieutenant Roger and another police officer entered the room five minutes later, Marinette feared her prayer was not heard.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you're under a.." He suddenly started laughing. He started twitching.

"What's happening?" Roger asked.

"Something's tickling me!"

"A rat?" Sabrina asked.

"That's impossible. This school is rodent free." Max answered.

Suddenly her right wrist was released from the cuff, then she somersaulted, grabbed her backpack and ran out of the door, with Tikki and Wayzz hiding in her hair.

"It stopped."

"Don't just stand there!" They started running. "Get her!" Ms. Mendeleiev ordered.

"Don't let her get away!" Chloe commanded.

She ran down the steps with two police officers on her tail. She soon saw a third one over by the door.

"Stop in the name of the law!" the first officer yelled.

She didn't stop. Her heart was pounding, with only thought on her mind. _Escape._ She threw two black hair ties behind her, in hopes of temporarily distracting the cops. Much to her amazement, it worked. She ran into the maintenance area (where Horrificator held her entrapped victims) and shut the door.

"Where did she go?!" Roger asked.

She continued running. She heard a cold, sinister laughter throughout the room. "Who's there?" She continued running. She heard it again. "No... It.. it can't be..." There was no denying it. The voice was Hawkmoth. But why was he here? Was he just in Marinette's mind? Was this all a terrible nightmare? She stopped and saw herself in the mirror and saw a reflection of herself in a black dress similar to her gala gown and human sized black bat wings.

"No! NO!" She punched the mirror and cut herself from the broken glass. She moaned in pain and looked at the broken mirror.

Tikki looked at Marinette's wound. "Are you okay?!" She nodded. "Marinette, why did you attack Chloe?"

"I...I don't know. All I could think about was anger and revenge."

"Is it possible for Miraculous holders to be akumatized?" Wayzz asked.

Marinette sighed. "If Hawkmoth wanted to akumatize me, he would have done so by now."

"Marinette, the cops will come after you. What are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do; run."

"Marinette!" a voice called out.

"Wait, is that...?" Wayzz began.

"We need to move." Marinette said.

Adrien was running, searching for Marinette. Why, he wasn't even sure. He just didn't want to let her go. He wasn't angry at her, or at Chloe.

"Marinette!" His scream was louder as he continued searching for her. "MARINETTE!"

He heard the sound of sobs. They were soft. "Marinette? Is that you?"

"Go. Leave me here." a voice from afar said.

"Marinette, where are you?"

"Just leave. I'm not the one you need. I'm not the one you seek. I'm not the one you love."

Adrien followed the sound of the feminine voice, hoping to find Marinette. Instead, when he looked up, he saw Ladybug standing on the catwalk. But she was crying. "Ladybug?" She turned away and ran across the metal platform. "Ladybug!"

He had looked for her all over the place, but he couldn't find her. Both Marinette and Ladybug had disappeared.


	34. The Lost Loves

Author's Notes:

-To Panda2337; I appreciate the reviews you have left on my stories. It means a lot to me! And to answer your question, Marinette is being charged with assault (beating up Chloe) and theft (stealing her comb.) Nobody believes Marinette when she says that Chloe is Queen Bee and Lila is willingly working for Hawkmoth. (I thought it would be obvious.) Does that make sense?

Anyway, moving on...

Adrien left the cellar in despair.

"Adrien, are you alright?" Alya asked.

"Alya, what are you doing outside the classroom?" Adrien asked.

She bent one of her legs against the wall and leaned back. "I can ask you the same thing, Mr. Agreste. Why were you searching for Marinette?"

"I...I was just... Trying to find her... and tell her that... That.. she didn't have to be alone."

"Are you in love with her?"

"What? No, we're just friends. Why do you ask?"

She put her foot down. "Well... Normally, I wouldn't tell you this, but... Marinette... is actually in love with you."

He gasped. "She... she is?"

Alya nodded. "Yeah. She's the one who made you the blue scarf your dad gave you, she wanted to spend time with you, and... she... she adores you."

His mouth hung wide open. "She really loves me...?"

The police officers went back down the stairs and he ran away. He stood outside the school and Plagg came out from under Adrien's vest.

"So, where did your girlfriend run off to?" he asked.

"Plagg, this is serious! Marinette's on the run from the cops!" Adrien lashed out in frustration. "And she's not my girlfriend! Plagg, claws out!"

He transformed and starting roaming the rooftops. Cat Noir was searching for Marinette, in hopes of being able to comfort her. Instead, he found Ladybug at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He pole vaulted up there, and saw her crying. He put his hand on her shoulder. "My lady, what's wrong?"

"Oh... Cat... Cat Noir..."

She sobbed onto his chest and he put his arms around her.

"What's the matter?"

"How... how do I tell you... without telling you who I am under the mask?"

"Just take it easy. Breathe in." She inhaled. "Breathe out." She exhaled. "Tell me what happened."

"Well... My place of residence has burned down in flames. I have nowhere to go. What's worse, my civilian identity is a now a girl who's on the run from the cops."

"What? Why? What did you do?"

"Well..." She hesitated. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Cat Noir looked at her with grave concern. "Was anyone murdered, molested or arrested?"

"No, no and almost but still no."

"Alright, I won't ask you anymore on what was done. What will you do now that you're homeless and on the run?"

"I don't know. Cat Noir... I know this would be asking a lot of you, but could you get me some camping supplies?"

"Sure." He got out a notepad and a pen. "Tell me what to write."

She described to him a long list of items. The ones that were underlined were the most important for Cat Noir to get. The rest were optional.

 _A tent that has a zipper from the inside_

 _A two week food supply_

 _Five average sized canteens_ _(at least half of them filled with fresh drinkable water)_

 _First aid_ kit

 _A dozen cookies, preferably chocolate chip, but any will do_ _  
_

 _A backpack or suitcase big enough to carry_ _everything_

 _A packet of matches_

 _Sleeping bag_

 _Pillow_

 _Mosquito/Bug Repellent_

"I'm guessing the cookies are for Tikki?" Ladybug nodded. "Consider it done." Cat Noir said. "I'll get you everything you've asked for."

Ladybug looked at him, eyebrows raised. "But that's such a long list. That's why I have my priorities underlined."

"My lady, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He got on his knees. "Ladybug, there's something I wanted to tell you for a really long time. I realize that you may not feel the same, but... Ladybug... I love you." She gasped. "Whether or not you return my feelings, I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

"You're the best partner I could ever ask for, Cat Noir. Right now, I'm confused on who I have feelings for..."

"Well, I'll be here, if you ever decide you want me.

"Thanks kitty. Now get those supplies!"

"I'll be back in a few hours."

He jumped off the Eiffel Tower and left for his room. He detransformed.

"Oh boy, it's been a long day."

"So how are you going to get the items for Ladybug?"

"I'll just hand the list to the gorilla and he won't even say a word."

After doing just that, he returned to his room. He then thought about Marinette. Why was he searching so desperately for her? Alya seemed to imply that he loved her, but they were just friends. Adrien was in love with Ladybug. He remembered the dance. Everyone expected and even wanted, for him to kiss Marinette.

"Go on and kiss the girl..." Alya sang. "Kiss the girl..."

"Kiss the Girl..." Rose sang in a whispered tone.

"Go on and kiss the girl." Alya finished.

He never admitted it to anyone (not even Plagg), but he wanted to kiss her. He was really ticked off when Queen Bee interrupted the kiss. And when they accidentally kissed, he enjoyed it.

 _That's crazy. We're just friends and nothing more._ He thought. _But why do I feel so drawn to her?_

Adrien had been feeling more friendship towards Marinette for several weeks. They were friends, very close friends, best friends... Then why did he desperately search for her? Why did he want to hold her in his arms? Why did he want to kiss her? He recalled her smile, her pretty eyes, how bright and optimistic she was.

Then he realized... he was in love with her.

He remembered Marinette's words back in the hall.

 _I'm not the one you need. I'm not the one you seek. I'm not the one you love._

Or were they Ladybug's? How did Marinette escape so quickly?

He thought of Marinette at the dance, and how Ladybug appeared there. He thought of Marinette and Ladybug crying. He recalled his battle against Antibug. He had to face her alone because Ladybug was about to detransform back.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Antibug!"

She spun her yoyo. "I love a good cat fight." She then threw her yoyo towards him, which he swiftly jumped upward to dodge and went to the balcony. Antibug followed him there. She swung her yoyo but she swiftly dodged his move. He flung his staff towards her like a boomerang, and they switched places on the balcony trying to avoid each others weapons. She then tangled him in her yoyo, spun him around and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. His head spun and he didn't see what was happening until it was too late. Using some rope she stole from a storage closet in the hotel, she bound his wrists to his staff, then his ankles and tied his arms for good measure.

"Wa.. what.." He then realized that he was tied to his own weapon by Antibug. "Oh crap..."

"This is just perfect. Ladybug will surely come after her previous kitten." Antibug smirked.

"You'll never get her Miraculous."

She jumped on the staff, shaking it, making him scared she would let him fall to his death. "Aren't you tired of playing second fiddle to Ladybug?"

"And aren't you tired of copying Ladybug?"

After a few terrifying moments, he felt someone free his ankles.

"Ladybug..."

The staff was pulled closer to the railing. "Cat... It's me... Marinette. The girl you agreed to protect from the Evillustrator?"

His eyebrows widened in surprise. "Marinette? What are you doing here?"

"I.. I came to save you." She pushed back the staff, lifted it over the railing, and then set Cat Noir down. "I'm returning the favor." She started undoing the other ropes.

"Princess... I owe you my life."

Marinette finished untying the ropes. "Don't sweat it, kitty."

She disappeared quickly, and then after a brief rematch between him and Antibug, Ladybug showed up to take her evil "sister" down. He recalled so many memories, Ladybug nearly sacrificing her Miraculous to save Adrien, not knowing that it was an illusion, Ladybug screaming at Lila in the park, him, Marinette, Nino and Alya at the movie theater... His mind flooded with thoughts as the gears in his head turned. He remembered seeing Ladybug for the first time and giving Marinette his umbrella. And then just like lightning, it struck him. He gasped aloud.

"Adrien... Adrien?"

Then he started crying.

"My love... is gone... I have no chance at true love."

"Adrien, what are you talking about? Unless you're in love with Marinette and not Ladybug!"

"You don't get it! Marinette is Ladybug!"

Plagg gasped as Adrien continued sobbing. Plagg looked around and got a tissue box. Adrien took the tissues and started wiping away the tears.

"Just let it out, kid. Let it out." Plagg consoled.

Adrien continued sobbing. Plagg wished he knew what to do...

 _But what should I do?_ he thought.


	35. Gabriel's Secret

Adrien cried until he had no more tears left. He looked in the mirror. His eyes were no longer bloodshot, but he was still grief stricken.

"Ok, get it together."

"It'll be ok." Plagg said.

"Is Marinette even right?"

"Well, there's one way to find out. Look at the safe."

Plagg flew out of Adrien's room. He followed his kwami down the steps and into the atelier.

"Open the safe." Adrien ordered. Plagg opened the safe. They looked at the items in the safe.

"Just I thought. The Peacock Miraculous is here!"

"The Peacock Miraculous?" Adrien asked. "But wait, if the peacock is here... Then..." He gasped. "Marinette... was right... At least.. about one thing."

"Adrien?" a voice asked.

Adrien slammed the safe shut and looked at his father.

"Father... What.. what are you doing..."

"Adrien's kwami, I know you're hiding in there. So get out of my safe. Now."

Plagg flew out. "Oh great. So much for dirty secrets."

"How... how did you..."

"Adrien. I can't believe you never told me you were Cat Noir! How could you?!"

Adrien was taken aback, but he didn't gasp. "Well, you're no better! You've been keeping the Peacock Miraculous here in your safe, while Jade Sensei recently got himself killed in the midst of battle!"

"I'm too old for all this hero business."

"You just don't care! You don't care about anything!"

Plagg whispered. "Adrien..."

"That isn't true!"

"How can I believe you?!"

"Adrien." Plagg raised his voice.

"You excuse me of lying. I'm not a liar!"

"How can I believe you?! We're losing the war against Hawkmoth! And you're not even doing anything! You know what? You're a terrible father, and you don't understand anything! If you're going to continue this, then I'm just going to leave! Plagg, claws..."

"Adrien!" Plagg shouted. "I know you're upset." He stroked Adrien's cheek. "You have every reason to be upset, but all this arguing will get us nowhere. I don't think you want to argue with your father. And I don't think he wants to argue with you either. Let's calm down, see what he has to say, and we'll take it from here. Kay?"

Adrien nodded. "Father.. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight."

"I must apologize. Had I known that you were destined to be a Miraculous wielder, I would have told you the truth."

"About the Miraculous?"

"About everything." He sighed. "Do you remember the story of how I meet your mother? When we were in college? She was eighteen and I was twenty one? Well, it's not true. None of it was. Take three years from those numbers."

"She was fifteen, and you were eighteen."

"It was late in the second semester. It was the year of 1991. I was a senior, about to graduate and she was only a freshman at the time. We were at the school library. She dropped her book and I picked it up for her. We quickly became friends, and then we fell in love. We were both students at Francois Dupont, which had only been open for a few years. But because of our age gap, we kept our relationship a secret. Three years might not seem like such a big gap, but since I was an adult, and she was only a child, it seemed like a very big gap. Aside from that, my life was normal. That is, until about a month before graduation. Sometime during the last three weeks of school, while studying for finals, I got the Peacock Miraculous."

He recalled receiving the Miraculous. He was in his room after a passionate kissing and snuggling session with Terra Baudin (Baudin was Mrs. Agreste's maiden name), and he had seen a black box with a red symbolic design on it. He thought it may have been a gift from his girlfriend that he had failed to notice. He opened the box and he was blinded by a sphere of bright dark blue light. He looked towards the light, and saw a sprite-like creature.

"Why, hello there." a feminine voice greeted.

Gabriel was shocked. "Who... who are you? What are you?"

"My name is Duusu, and I am a kwami." she answered.

"My girlfriend knows about kwamis?"

Duusu ignored his previous statement. "I was sent you by Master Fu. You see that peacock-shaped brooch? That piece of jewelry is a Miraculous. You use it to transform into a peacock themed superhero."

"Wh..what?! A superhero?"

"Yes, Mr. Agreste. You've been chosen by fate to fight crime."

"What? But why me? I'm not cut out for this!"

"Yes you are! You can do this!"

"But I don't know how to be a hero! I'm just a fashion designer who never even receives credit for the work he does!"

The scene switched back to reality. Gabriel turned towards his son. "The thing about being a superhero was... I never wanted to be one. I thought it would interfere with my dream of becoming a world renowned fashion designer. But, over the next few weeks, I managed to tackle the responsibility of fighting crime in Paris and even gave myself the nom de guerre of Le Paon."

He recalled how he transformed and what he looked like as a superhero. He was in his room and Duusu came out from under his vest.

"Duusu, feathers up!" Gabriel exclaimed.

Duusu entered the brooch (that he wore on a blue belt across his waist), and it lit up with five different ("eye") points glowing blue; the bottom left, the 3rd left, the center, the 3rd right and the bottom right. He waved his hands across his face as a blue mask formed. He ran his hands through his blond hair, making a neatly-groomed do very messy as a blue outfit formed with a blue cape with green peacock symbols at the tip. His shoes were replaced with boots that had peacock "eyes" towards the top of them. He put his hand on his cape, and the transformation was done.

He jumped out the window and jumped across the rooftops of Paris. He was on patrol. Since there were no other Miraculous holders (aside from Master Fu), he was alone. He often thought of his girlfriend on those long, lonely nights. That is, when he wasn't fighting crime. When he fought criminals, he wielded a peacock shaped fan, which he often split into two fans, and he often used them as if they were boomerangs.

And if necessary, he would activate his superpower; a powerful gust of wind created by his fans. Like with the lesser Miraculouses (Moth, Bee, Fox and Turtle), the superpower could be used five times before the countdown begins. Usually he didn't need it, and it was rare for him to use all five charges in one session. Due to his reluctance to be a superhero, he only fought crime at night, and he never liked being seen. He learned to adjust to a new kind of normal, but sadly, this new found stability would soon be shattered.

"Stability shattered?" Adrien asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well... On the last day of finals, I saw Master Fu for the first time. I learned that... I wasn't supposed to get the Peacock Miraculous." Adrien gasped. "Terra was. She was supposed to receive the Miraculous, not me. Master Fu had gotten our addresses mixed up. I felt terrible, like it was just a mistake, and that I should give up the Miraculous. Master Fu also asked me to become the Great Guardian. I was cracking under pressure. Fashion college would start in three months, and I didn't know what I would do. I felt guilty for keeping the truth from Terra. I wasn't sure what to do."

Then came his graduation ceremony. Since Francoise Dupont was a small school, they held the graduation ceremony at the Le Grand Paris hotel, in the reception room. It was booked every year. Terra came to the ceremony, because she wanted to be there to congratulate Gabriel.

"Amelia Mendeleiev. Eric Kubdel." the announcer said.

Since they were announcing names in reverse alphabetical order that year, Gabriel was actually the last senior to be acknowledged.

"Armand D'Argencourt. Otis Cesarie."

After three more names, Gabriel was finally called on.

"Gabriel Agreste." They all received their diplomas and sat back down. "Give it up for the class of 1991!"

The crowd cheered for all the graduates. They all set the tassel (or string) on their blue graduation caps to the left side of their heads before throwing them into the air. As the crowd gave their final applause, Gabriel tried his best to smile for his parents. After the ceremony, he was with Terra in the hallways of the hotel.

"I'm so proud of you." Terra said. She turned away sadly.

Gabriel noticed this. "Terra, what's wrong?"

"I'm worried. Since you're going to start college, you're going to be very busy, and it will be harder to send you letters and meet up for secret rendezvous."

"Your parents still won't let you get a cellphone?"

"Not until I turn sixteen in two months."

"Well, then. Here's what I'll do." He got a piece of paper and wrote his number on it. "Call me once you get your cellphone, and I'll take you out for ice cream. My treat."

"You're the best Gabe." She threw his arms around him and kissed him. He kissed her back. Usually Gabriel didn't like being called Gabe, but this was an exception.

"Until then, my love." He said. "Farewell." He got on the elevator that would take him down to the lobby.

She waved him goodbye. "I'll see you again."

As the elevator door closed, he had no idea of what was to come.


	36. Running Away

Two months had passed, and Terra had not called. Master Fu was still waiting for Gabriel's answer. Gabriel knew paying for college was going to be difficult, as he had no scholarships, no financial aid, and his parents were financially strained after Gabriel's father had to pay for property damages due to a car accident. Gabriel was pacing about his room.

"What's going on? Why hasn't she called?"

"I'm sure there's a reason." Duusu said.

"I'm not sure." An alarm beeped. He looked towards his alarm clock. It was 9:30pm. "It's time for patrol. Duusu, feathers up!"

He transformed into Le Paon. He didn't want to think, he just wanted to feel the wind in his hair. But at the same time, he thought Terra may have been more suited for this role.

 _Terra was supposed to have the Miraculous, not me. She doesn't know the truth and I feel guilty for not telling her. I haven't seen her in weeks, Master Fu's waiting._ He thought to himself.

He saw nothing that night. One week had passed, and, reluctantly, he agreed to become the Great Guardian. His first session was to start on his first day of college. He didn't want to, but he feared that Master Fu may die soon (which wouldn't happen for years to come). He wondered if he was really up for the task at hand. Another week had passed, and had still not heard from Terra. Worried about her, he went to her house; a big brick mansion with tan-colored siding with grey shingles on the roof. Le Paon saw Terra in her room through the window. She was crying, but he couldn't hear anything she said. He went to the roof and detransformed. He looked at his kwami.

"Duusu, I need you to sneak into Terra's room without her noticing you. I want you to figure out why she's upset."

"Right away."

She flew into the room, phasing through the window. He waited on the rooftop for a few minutes. About three to four minutes later, the kwami returned to her master with horrible news.

"So what you're saying is that someone found out about our secret relationship, brought photographic evidence to Terra's parents, and they locked her in her room, and grounded her for the whole summer as punishment?"

"Pretty much. She also said that they won't give her a cellphone until she's eighteen."

"Great. Just great." he sarcastically quipped. "Now what? She'll probably forget about me."

"I think that's the idea. Her parents are trying to break you guys up." She started crying. "Why do they have to do this?!"

Gabriel wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He couldn't stand the thought of never seeing his true love again. But what was he to do? College (and training with Master Fu) began in only mere weeks. He went back to his room and thought of a plan. A very bad and risky plan, which would involve sacrificing his dream, but if it worked, he could be with Terra. After many internal debates with himself (and his kwami), he executed his plan. A week after finding Terra trapped in her house, Gabriel got the money he had in his savings account for college (about $7,500) and took it out of the bank. Then he packed his bags. Everything was perfect so far. Other than the fact, that his twin brother, Jacques, had found him while he was sneaking out.

"And where are you going at this hour?" Jacques asked.

"I'm... I'm going to... the cheese shop."

"You're a bad liar, Gabe. It's 10:55. The cheese shop closed nearly an hour ago."

He scoffed. "Why do you care?"

"I don't get it. You drop out of that college that you really wanted to attend, then you take out all your money out of your account. What's going on? I thought you wanted to be a fashion designer."

"Well. I figured... That... since there's only enough money for you to go to college, I figured, that you should attend college. Besides, law school is expensive. I'll wait a year and see if things get better. In the meantime, I'm going to try and get a job."

"Alright. So why do you have that suitcase?"

"Because... I rented an apartment and I'm moving in."

"Now?"

"Yes. Right now."

He looked at him warily, then shrugged it off. "Well, okay then. I'll miss you, Gabe."

His younger brother groaned. "And please, stop calling me that."

Gabriel left the house for last time. Stripping his suitcase to his back, he was ready to go.

Duusu flew into the air and looked at her chosen. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"There's no turning back now, Duusu. I've dropped out of college before it even began. I love Terra and I'm not going to let her suffer like this! Duusu, feathers up!"

He transformed into Le Paon and set off for the Baudin residence. He landed on the roof. He could see Terra was asleep. He partially hoped that she would be awake, but he had expected this. He got out his fan.

"Vigorous Gale!"

He activated his wind power, blowing a hole into her wall. Terra woke up in alarm. The superhero entered her room. She looked at Le Paon fearfully.

"Who... who are you? Are you a terrorist?" She got on her knees. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Young maiden. I do not wish to hurt you. I want to aid you. I know you're in love with Gabriel Agreste, and you want to be with him. Do you trust me?"

She looked into his eyes. "I do."

"Good. Now pack your bags."

She took about ten minutes to get her stuff together. She held a suitcase on wheels in her hand.

"Well, that was quicker than I expected. Alright, now to get you away from here."

He scooped her up into his arms and he jumped down. He carried her far from her house.

"Gabriel is waiting for you at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Tell him that you want to run away with him. If you want, I'll even escort you to the Notre Dame so you don't have to worry about any criminals sneaking up on you."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be alright on my own.

"Are you sure?"

"Certain. You're a sweetheart, Birdie."

He blushed, but he tried not show it. "Paon. Call me Le Paon."

"Le Paon. I like that."

He secretly followed her long enough to make sure she got there safely. Once she was close enough, he detransformed and went to the Eiffel Tower.

She smiled upon seeing her beloved Gabriel. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"You didn't."

He threw his arms around her. She whispered in his ear, "I know this seems sudden, but... I can't live here anymore because of my parents. Will you run away with me?"

He looked at her, his eyes conveying a playful, yet sincere message. "Of course I will."

Gabriel opened his safe and grabbed his book on Tibet. "For about three years, it was the two of us, three if you count Duusu, against the world. We moved from place to place every few weeks, sometimes even months."

Adrien was puzzled. "So... if you ran away with her... how exactly did you become a fashion designer?"

"I'll get to that. Right now, I'll tell you about when this crazy adventure came to an end. After fleeing Paris, we tried living in Lyon, but that didn't work. We moved around from place to place. We tried living in Berlin, Brussels, Athens, Thebes, Rome, Florence, Moscow and numerous other cities I could mention. Since we had to be secret about our true identities, we commonly used aliases and Terra was home schooled for the last three years of her high school career. She never went to college, but she never needed to. Becoming a choir singer was very easy for her. As for the last place we had stopped, that would be Lhasa, a city in Tibet, a providence of China. After moving around for so long, at one point we had considered settling here. This book that I hold..." He held it in his hands for Adrien to see. "Your mother bought it, wanting to learn more about the area."

He put the book down. "So... what happened?"

Gabriel put the book back into the safe. "We had been staying there for five months. That's longer than we had ever stayed in one location on our trip across the world. We believed that nobody here would know us. However, we were wrong."

After Terra earned her high school diploma, they went out to a nice restaurant to celebrate. On the way back from the restaurant, Gabriel accidentally knocked down an old man.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I..." He gasped. "Master Fu?"

He smiled as he got up. "Fancy seeing you here."


	37. Two Broken Promises

Terra looked at her boyfriend. "Gabriel, do you know this man?"

He stuttered. Master Fu smirked. "So this is where you've been all these years."

"Were you looking for me?" Gabriel finally managed to ask.

"Not necessarily. After Le Paon mysteriously vanished, I went traveling in hopes of finding another successor. But unfortunately, I've failed every time."

Terra remembered the superhero who helped to reunite her and Gabriel. "Le Paon is your successor?"

"He was supposed to be, but he ran away. I wonder why..." He looked at Gabriel.

"Gabriel? Is there something you've been hiding from me?" Terra asked.

He shuttered again. "There's so much to explain, but beforehand, we must get to a more private place. No one must overhear this."

"He's right. I know just where to go."

The three traveled to Master Fu's apartment. There were Chinese banners, decorations like fans and even a Chinese zodiac poster on the wall.

Terra asked, "What's going on?"

He sighed. "Terra, you remember Le Paon, right? Well, the thing is... I am Le Paon."

Terra gasped. "You're... you're the superhero who saved me?"

"Me and Master Fu here... We're Miraculous wielders. Master Fu, the holder of the Turtle Miraculous, is not just a Miraculous wielder, he's also the Great Guardian. He's been looking for a successor. As the Peacock Miraculous wielder Le Paon, I was supposed to take on the responsibility of training to be the next guardian. However, once I heard about your parents grounding you and trying to separate us, I gave up my dream of being a fashion designer and ran away from being the Great Guardian."

He explained everything, about his kwami, being Le Paon, everything.

"Gabriel... You sacrificed your dream just to save me? But why?"

"Because I love you, Terra. You mean the world to me."

"And I'm also guessing that you never told Terra the other half of the truth, did you, Mr. Agreste?" Master Fu asked.

"How could I?" Gabriel asked.

"What other half?" Terra chimed in.

Master Fu sighed. "The truth is, Gabriel got the Miraculous by accident because I got two addresses mixed up. The one who was supposed to get the Miraculous... was... actually you."

Terra gasped. "Gabriel, why didn't you tell me this?!"

"Terra... I... I'm sorry." She ran out of the room. "Terra!" He sighed. "I don't think she's taking this well."

"I never should have mentioned Le Paon to her." Master Fu stated. "I fear I may have soiled your relationship with her."

"Now what do I do?"

"Isn't it obvious? You must find her."

"How do we do that?" Duusu asked.

"I don't know. Duusu, feathers up!"

He transformed and went searching for Terra. He hated being seen in the daytime, but he didn't even care. After searching for hours, he feared his efforts were all in vain. Then he heard a scream on the rooftop. "Let go of me!"

He climbed up to the roof. Terra was struggling to hold back a black cloaked figure. He had grabbed her wrists.

"Leave her alone!" Le Paon exclaimed.

"Paon?" Terra asked.

The figure got punched in the face. Le Paon got out his fan and used it to drive him to the edge. It seemed as if he had the upper hand, then the figure stole the belt with the Miraculous on it and tossed it aside. Le Paon involuntarily detransformed into Gabriel.

"Gabriel Agreste. Just as I thought." he spoke.

Gabriel gasped. He recognized that voice anywhere. "Jacques?"

He removed his cloak with his hand. "Hello there, brother."

Gabriel was furious. "Why are you doing this?!"

He held onto Terra's wrists. "I thought you were doing to do something terrible to this young maiden. There's a reason Terra's parents were so concerned."

"You gave them photographic evidence?!"

"I sure did."

"You traitor!"

"You're the traitor, Gabe. Do you know what happened after you left? Father died of a heart attack, mother fell into depression and committed suicide because we all thought you were dead, and I failed my entrance exam for law school. You're a coward, a liar, and a traitor!"

Gabriel felt ashamed of himself, but he dared not show it. "You never answered my first question. Why are you doing this?"

He tried to put himself in a good light. "I thought you were lusting over her, and I just wanted to protect her."

"You want her for yourself!"

"Is that so wrong?"

"YES! You are going to pay for this!"

"And how do you plan to do that? You're without your Miraculous. You're powerless."

Gabriel was enraged. "That matters little! You messed with my love life, and now you will pay dearly!"

After beating Jacques harshly, Gabriel retrieved his Miraculous belt and Jacques disappeared. He was presumed dead. The two lovebirds went back to Paris afterwards. He tried to bring Terra back to her parents, but they had passed on and the mansion she lived in was bought by Otis Cesarie. Shortly after their return, Gabriel was lucky to get an internship with a major fashion company in Paris. Terra became a choir singer and Le Paon continued to fight crime once again. Within three years, Gabriel founded his own fashion company, the _Gabriel_ brand. In the summer, Gabriel proposed to Terra and they would be married three years later. Everything seemed to be perfect. That is, until a tragedy occurred.

Adrien widened his eyes in fear. "A tragedy? What happened?"

His father sighed. "You know of Princess Diana, right?"

"Yeah. She was the Princess of Wales, beloved by her people. I remember she died, but I'm not sure of the cause."

"On August 31st, 1997, she died in a car crash. The impact didn't kill her immediately, but the doctors failed to save her. Everyone thinks that the driver was drunk, but... This isn't true. I never meant for any of this to happen, but... I was the one who caused her death. I never meant any harm, but everything went wrong early that morning... It was around midnight..."

Le Paon was chasing a black-cloaked thief down the streets of Paris. He tried to get to the Alma Underpass, a tunnel close to the Seine River. To try and stop him, the peacock themed superhero got out of fan and activated his power.

"Vigorous Gale!" Le Paon exclaimed.

He hoped to knock him into the Seine River and then bind him in ropes, but the robber dodged the attack and instead of hitting him, it hit the car, causing it to spin out of control and crash into the wall. The criminal got away. He gasped. Princess Diana was out unconscious, Dodi and Henri (the driver) were both killed instantly, and the only survivor, Trevor, was terribly injured. Police sirens could be heard, and Paon fled the scene.

"I was so ashamed of myself. From that day onward, I made myself two promises; One, that if I ever had a child, I would raise him or her at the house to protect them, and in hopes that they would never receive a Miraculous. Two, I swore to never use the Miraculous again. I was never able to forgive myself for causing this accident. Unfortunately, I failed to do both of these things. Despite my best efforts, you would eventually gain the Cat Miraculous."

"What about the second promise?"

"Well, unfortunately, sometime before the school year started, an intruder broke into the house. You were asleep during all of this, but the intruder used a spell. It was supposed to trap me in the Peacock Miraculous, but unfortunately, he got the wrong target, and Terra became trapped in the brooch I swore to never use. I never figured out who it was, but I have a bad feeling that it was Hawkmoth. After Terra became entrapped in the Miraculous, I contacted Master Fu, and he gave me the Miraculous book. Duusu, who knows some of the code in the book, tried to help me translate the book to English in hopes of finding a way to save her. Unfortunately, despite the fact that I finished the translation a week ago, I still haven't been able to free her."

Adrien looked at his father in realization. "No... no wonder you're always gone."

"I've made many decisions in my life, some good, some bad, some accidental, some on purpose, but I always tried to do what's best, and I was always trying to save her. If only I could forgive myself... Even now, in 2016, nearly two decades later, I still haven't forgiven myself for my mistakes... "

Adrien's phone started vibrating. It was requesting a videochat call from Alya. Gabriel noticed. "Who is it?"

"It's my friend Alya. Should I answer it?"

"You should. Interacting with your friend would be good for you."

Adrien pressed answer, and it started loading. "Hi Alya."

"Hey, Adrien! You finally picked up! Hey Nino, get over here!" Alya ordered.

"What is it?" he asked off-screen. "I've been trying to..." He turned towards his best friend. "Adrien!"

"Nino!" He greeted.

"Well, if I was actually with you in person, I'd hug you like you're a long lost relative. But since I can't do that, onto the next part." He breathed in deeply. "Dude, where have you been?! I've been trying to call you for the last two hours!"

Adrien nearly jumped in surprise. "Two hours?!"

"Yeah, dude. You disappeared on us. I'm glad to see you're safe and sound and..." He noticed Gabriel. "Oh... He's here."

"What's the problem?" Alya asked.

"Adrien's dad... Doesn't like me."

"How come?"

"Long story. I'll explain later."

"So... Alya, what happened after I ran off?" Adrien inquired.

"School was cancelled for the day. It's the first time in forever that the school was closed or delayed and it wasn't because of an akuma attack. The blond haired menace has summoned her forces. At least half of Paris's police officers are pursuing Marinette at all times, whether they want to or not."

Adrien was baffled. "Whether they want to or not?"

"As I was leaving the school, I saw Sabrina, one of our classmates, speaking to her father, Lieutenant Raincomprix. I couldn't hear the first thing she said, but it was something along the lines of, "...Shouldn't have to do this, father." He looked at her and said, "Why don't you want me to pursue her?" She responded, "Because I believe she's right. Chloe is totally evil!" Roger then said, "Marinette has no proof of that, or of Lila being a Miraculous holder. But we do have evidence that states she assaulted Chloe, stole her comb, resisted arrest, and she's on the run from the authorities. That's four reasons to arrest her." She cried out, "You don't have to do this!" "I have to, whether I like it or not. If I don't, I'll be fired. Again. And this time for a legitimate reason!" Sabrina frowned. She was about to say something, but he got into the car and drove off." Nino answered.

Alya looked at Nino curiously. "I don't recall Sabrina being friends with Marinette. Why didn't she want her father to hunt down Marinette?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible that after Sabrina betrayed Chloe during the Chemistry Catastrophe, that she befriended Marinette. Or perhaps she wanted to take Chloe down a peg or two. Either way, it didn't work." He turned towards Adrien. "So, what have you been up to?"


	38. Secrecy Sucks

"Well, after searching for Marinette unsuccessfully for about an hour, I stumbled upon Ladybug and Cat Noir at the top of the Eiffel Tower." Adrien answered. "Since they were so high up, it was hard to hear what they were talking about. Judging from their body language, Ladybug seemed to be very upset about something."

"Maybe she's still mourning over Jade Sensei's death." Alya suggested.

"That is possible." Nino stated.

"Most likely. She trusted him more than Cat Noir ever did." Adrien said.

Gabriel turned to Adrien. "But he did accept him as an ally, didn't he?"

"He did. Eventually... After seeing them from afar, I went back here."

"I can't believe that Chloe now has targets all over Marinette's back." Alya clinched her fists. "She doesn't deserve this. I wish I could just destroy her."

Nino grabbed Alya's wrist. "Alya, don't. You're going to end up in the same situation as Marinette. Or worse. And I can't afford to lose you." He threw her arms around her and whispered something into her ear. Alya embraced him before they backed away from each other.

"I won't attack her, but still she deserves to be punished. She's a complete loonie!"

"A loonie with power."

"Are you sure Chloe's that crazy?" Adrien asked.

"Definitely." they answered in unison.

Gabriel looked at Alya curiously. "Are you and Nino dating?"

She nodded. "We sure are."

"How long?"

"Um..." Alya began. "It started on the Menagerie Madness..."

"I thought it was called Animan Attack, April 29th." Nino answered.

"It depends on the article you read." Alya said. "I honestly thought the media was unaware of the victim's akumatized villain title of Animan."

"Nope, they're all aware that your father was corrupted by Hawkmoth."

"That's old news. So remind us, Adrien, why were you searching for Marinette?"

He hesitated. "Well... I... I wanted to tell her that... she didn't have to be alone..."

"You like her, don't you?" Nino asked. "No wait, you don't just like her. You're in love with her!"

"What?! No, that's... that's crazy!"

"I think he's right there. I saw the way you looked at her at the dance." Alya added.

Adrien looked at his dad. "Father, help me out here! Please tell my friend that he is crazy!"

"You're not going to like hearing this, but I think your friend might be right there."

"Huh?" Adrien and Alya asked in unison.

"Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say that either. And what's this about a dance?" Gabriel asked.

Alya was puzzled. "You didn't know that Adrien went to the Summer Solstice Gala?"

"Summer Solstice Gala? What exactly is that?"

"It's an end of the year dance that our high school holds every year close to the summer solstice. Several students attend this party every year, often with a date. In fact, Adrien went to the dance as friends with Marinette." Nino answered.

"Oh really?" Gabriel turned towards Adrien. "I'm guessing that you snuck out of the house like a sly, agile, black cat, and whisked away your princess to the ball?"

"Uh... you could say that." he answered. "Anyway, I'm not in love with Marinette. And even if I was, why would it matter? Marinette's a fugitive, and I'll never see her again. Who knows what has happened or even what will become of her?"

"She'll probably be caught eventually and then thrown behind bars." Nino predicted. "Such a sad fate..."

Alya had a grim look on her face. "You think so?"

"Either that, or worse."

Adrien decided to switch topics. "So... do you think Marinette's actually right? About Lila willingly working for Hawkmoth or Chloe being Queen Bee?"

"Hmm. I think it's definitely possible that Lila could be willingly working for Hawkmoth. Marinette had never trusted Lila, even in her civilian form. Although she claims the Fox Miraculous, although she still acts like an akumatized victim as opposed to a Miraculous wielder. It's hard to tell. As for Chloe being Queen Bee... I think it is possible, and definitely more likely than being a hero. Chloe doesn't even need superpowers to be bad! If Chloe was a Miraculous wielder, oh boy, she would cause a lot of damage. But the problem for Marinette is a lack of solid evidence. What do you think, Adrien?" Alya asked.

"I think it's possible that Lila could be a for real evil Volpina. As for Chloe, I'm rather skeptical. I mean, I hate Queen Bee immensely. She's a destroyer, a party-smasher, and she's cruel. She helped to kill Jade Sensei and she doesn't care about the destruction she causes. Chloe also has no reason to join Hawkmoth. What could she possibly have to gain? Nino? Any thoughts?"

"I think that Queen Bee and Chloe could very well be the same person. As for Lila? I highly doubt she's evil. I know Marinette doesn't trust her and thinks she's nothing more than a silver tongued liar, but she seems too nice to be evil."

Gabriel looked at Nino curiously. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, in case no one told you, Lila's a foreign exchange student from Rome. While in Paris, she's staying in our apartment. She's super nice around the house. She volunteers for chores, helps my mom cook dinner on some nights, and she gets along with all of my siblings. She's even teaching my little sister how to speak Italian. Of all the foreign exchange students we've under our roof, none have been evil."

"You've had foreign exchange students other than Lila?"

"Of course. Over a span of several years, we've had foreign exchange students from Germany, the United States, England, Ireland, Spain, Chile, Guatemala, Russia and with Lila's recent addition, Italy. We don't ask for much. We don't care what you look like, what your sexual orientation is, or even your faith. All that we ask is that your kind person who's willing to help others and do the right thing. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"It isn't. You and your family are very accepting of others, aren't you?"

"We are. Is that a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily. That depends on who you ask. Although..." He hesitated. "Since Lila is accused of willingly working for Hawkmoth, I would advise you to keep an eye on her. See if she does anything suspicious."

Nino looked at him curiously. "Do you think Lila and Chloe are evil?"

Gabriel sighed. "I don't know, but I see it like this. Your girlfriend could be right, you could be right, Adrien could be right, or maybe all of you are wrong. The truth is, no one knows, and without solid proof, no one will truly believe Marinette's words."

"Everyone thinks she's evil. That is, except for us." Adrien stated.

"Hmm... I don't think she's actually evil. Perhaps, lost and confused, but not evil. There's a difference between the two."

Nino's phone rang. "I'm sorry, I should probably take this." He answered it. "Hello? Oh hi, mom." Brief silence. "Oh not much. What'ca need?" More silence. "Really? Again? But I just got hot red chill peppers two days ago! How can she stomach all that spiciness?" More silence. "Yes, I have the money." He sighed. "Alright. You can pay me back later. Love ya mom, bye." He hung up. "Lila's been eating several red hot chill peppers lately. I don't understand her... I better get going before the market stand closes. Bye guys."

"Well, I better get going as well. I have to babysit my siblings."

"See you later, Alya."

She hung up, ending the conversation. Gabriel turned to Adrien. "Do you know who Queen Bee really is?"

"No, but I do know that Lila has the Fox Miraculous. If only I could tell Nino..."

"Keeping secrets from your friends is difficult, but it must be done. You of all people would understand the importance of secrecy."

"I know. Secret keeping is the hardest part of the job."

Gabriel sighed. "You are in a bad situation. You and Ladybug are losing the war against Hawkmoth. Considering all that has happened, this is no longer a mere battle of good vs evil. This is a Miraculous Civil War."


	39. Forbidden Love

"So how do me and Ladybug end this war?" Adrien asked.

"Have you tried searching for his lair?" Gabriel asked.

"Between both of our busy lives and all the akuma attacks, we tried searching for his lair only once. Obviously, we found nothing that night."

"This is most troubling..."

"I can't confront Lila, or else I'll be deemed insane as well."

Suddenly Adrien's bodyguard walked in with a big backpack in this hands.

"Is everything on that list in there?" He nodded. "Perfect. Set it in my room."

He left. Gabriel was baffled. "Um, mind explaining why he was carrying a huge backpack?"

Adrien explained the situation with Ladybug as best as he could.

"This does not bode well. With Ladybug on the run, she's more vulnerable to having her Miraculous stolen."

Adrien looked tense. "Are you sure about that?"

"I am. You really care about her, don't you?"

"I... I love her actually. But she doesn't seem to reciprocate my feelings. She's turned down Cat Noir several times. And then... there's Marinette..."

"Are you in love with her?"

Adrien hesitated. "I'd never admit it to my friends, but... I think I love her. My heart is torn between a superhero I have no chance with, and a fugitive who loves me in my civilian form. It feels like I don't have a chance with either of them. I'll never see Marinette again. Or least, not in my civilian form."

"But what about Cat Noir?" Plagg asked.

"Cat Noir?"

"Yes. You. You can talk to Marinette as Cat Noir and try to reassure her. Tell her that she doesn't have to be alone."

"I guess your right." He sighed. "It's been a long and emotionally exhausting day."

"Perhaps you should lie down or meditate." Gabriel suggested.

"I'll think about it."

He went to his room. He laid down napping for about an hour. When he finally woke up, it was about 12:30pm. He decided to get the camping supplies to Ladybug. Before leaving, he double checked to make sure his bodyguard got everything he asked. He was most satisfied. He got everything Ladybug needed and a little more. He transformed and left the house with the bag. After giving the bag of supplies to Ladybug, she went off and made her camp in a deserted forest on the outskirts of Paris. She read the Miraculous book, she was almost halfway done to memorizing everything. She then roamed the alleys in her civilian form.

"Are you it's a good idea to be walking around in your civilian form?" Tikki asked.

"I'll be fine. Cat Noir even gave me a black cloak, so I could hide my identity." Marinette answered. She got out a black cloak and put it on. She lifted her hood, and the garment clearly covered her whole body and her face. "It also helps me blend in with the shadows."

"Cat Noir is such a nice guy. You're lucky to have a partner like him." Wayzz said.

"He really does care about me... He loves me..."

Tikki whispered into her ear, "Are you beginning to like Cat Noir?"

"What? No, we're just friends! And stay silent."

She wondered why she was even here in the first place. Maybe... maybe she still wanted revenge. But it would do her no good to pursue Chloe or Lila. She took her hood down and looked around her. She was alone, and in more ways than one. Her friends could not help her, and even if they could, they would be in a lot of trouble for aiding a fugitive. Marinette began to sob. She had no family, she had no friends, and she had no love...

"Marinette, what are you doing here?"

She turned and gasped. "Cat.. Cat Noir. I... I should have known you'd catch me eventually." She held out her hands, waiting for him to handcuff her. Cat Noir was puzzled. "Aren't you working with the police to hunt me down?"

"No, Princess. It's not my job to hunt fugitives. I'm a superhero, not a police officer. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but I won't. My princess, I have something to tell you. Marinette, I love you."

She blinked twice. "You do?"

"Yes. I adore you. I yearn for you." He hesitated. "I need you because I love you."

Marinette couldn't believe what he said. "What about Ladybug?"

"We're just friends. And besides, you're the one I truly desire. I just wish I had realized it sooner..."

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in. She put her hands on his chest. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"And why not?"

"Because... you're a superhero, and I'm a fugitive. Everyone thinks I'm evil."

"But I know you're not. I don't care what anyone says, I know you're not a villain. And I love you, no matter what."

He kissed her. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even herself, but she loved Cat Noir. She kissed him back, and threw her arms around his neck. He put his arms her waist and continued kissing her passionately. After a minute or so, they broke away, gasping for air.

"Cat Noir... I love you. I must ask you, do you... believe me?" She started stuttering. "A..about what I said about Chloe and Lila?"

Before he could answer, Marinette heard sirens and backed away. She put her hood up. "Marinette!" She ran away, and Cat Noir tried to reassure himself that she wouldn't be caught.

Ladybug was on the rooftops. _You were saying?_

 _Tikki..._ She mentally sighed. _Fine, I love Cat Noir. Why does it matter?_

 _Aw, you guys are so cute. I mean, what about Adrien?_

 _I'll probably never see him again. Besides, he doesn't love me anyways. Maybe Cat Noir can help me move on._

Ladybug went back to her campsite, oblivious as to how wrong she really was.


	40. Like a Bee to Honey

Adrien was thinking of Marinette and hoping that she was alright. Suddenly his phone beeped. He got a text message from Chloe.

 _Hey Adrien. If you have a moment of spare time, I'd like to meet you at Cafe Blanc tomorrow._

Cafe Blanc was were Adrien had gone after his first battle with Queen Bee.

 _Okay. Let me ask my dad and see if he would approve._

 _No need for that. I already told him._

 _Well, alright. What time then?_

 _How about 11:30 in the morning? There won't be too many people there._

 _Sounds good. I'll be there._

He wasn't quite sure why he had agreed to this. At about eleven the following day, he left the house and started walking. Around that same time, Marinette was in her tent, studying the Miraculous book.

"I don't know why, but I have a very bad feeling."

"Maybe you're just nervous."

"I have a feeling that something scandalous is going on without my knowledge."

"Just try and focus on the text. You've got half of it memorized."

She sighed and continued reading the book. Adrien was about two thirds of the way to the cafe. He was passing an alley, then he was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.

"Hello there, hotness."

Adrien gasped. "Queen Bee." The supervillainess nodded. "What do you want with me?!"

"Oh relax, Adrien. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to do me a favor."

"Forget it. I'll never join you!"

"I'm not asking you to join me. I'm asking you to pursue a romantic relationship with Chloe Bourgeois."

"What?! No way! Why would I ever date her?"

"I figured you'd say that. That's why I have something to tell you. If you refuse to date Chloe Bourgeois and give in to her demands, your best friend, Nino Lahiffe, will be seriously hurt!"

He nearly forgot how to breathe when he heard that statement. He hesitated. "You're... you're bluffing. You don't know anything about him."

She smirked. "You wanna bet? He's a student at Francoise Dupont, likes to DJ in his spare time, his girlfriend Alya Cesarie runs the Ladyblog, and he lives on 12 Rue Gotlib, in the 21st arrondissement, only a few doors away from where the Tom and Sabine Bakery used to be before it was destroyed."

Adrien gasped. "How do you know all of this?"

"I have my ways. So, are you going to date the queen of your school, or do I have to hurt your best friend?"

Adrien did not want to do this. But he had no choice. He sighed. "I'll date her. How do I go about doing this?"

"If you want to impress her, buy her a piece of jewelry, not necessarily a ring but something beautiful and bona fide. Then tell her that you love her, and ask her out. I have reliable intel that Chloe loves diamonds."

He quickly went to the nearest jewelry store and bought a diamond necklace. Plagg came out from under his vest. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"Neither am I. But if I want to keep Nino safe, I don't have a choice. I have to date Chloe, and obey her. Whether I want to or not." He gulped. "And I really don't want to..."

The black cat kwami looked at the necklace Adrien held in his hands. "That's a pretty necklace."

"Don't touch it, Plagg."

He put the necklace in a box. "This is what you're giving to your betrothed?"

"Plagg, just shut up. I hate everything right now."

Chloe was waiting at the cafe for Adrien. She already got a table for two in a semi deserted area. Adrien eventually joined her. He noticed there was a window with Queen Bee watching them. She glared at Adrien, as if to say, _What are you waiting for? Go on!_

"Chloe... I have something for you." He got the necklace and put it around Chloe's neck. "Chloe... I love you. Will you.. be my girlfriend?"

"Oh Adrikins! I thought you'd never ask!"

She kissed him on the cheek. He tried not to push her away, or make an annoyed expression on face, but instead remained neutral. He forced a smile, but then turned neutral as Chloe got out her phone.

 _Nice illusions, Lila. Adrien's fallen into my scheme like a bee to honey._

 _Congratulations, Chloe. You've got the man of your dreams wrapped around your finger._

 _He may be dating me, but he's not in love. Not yet. But soon enough, he will be._

"Who are you texting?" Adrien asked.

She put the phone face down. "My friend Lila."

"You guys are friends?" He looked at her in surprise. "I thought you guys were rivals because you're coworkers.

"We were, but our boss eventually got tired of us bickering all the time and we eventually settled our differences."

"Remind me, your boss... Harry Mitchell...?"

"Henry Mitchell." she corrected.

"Right, right. Um, what exactly does he have you and/or Lila do?"

"That depends on the day."

After about an hour, Adrien left the cafe. He mentally sighed to himself. _Worst first date ever. How did I get into this?_ Adrien thought to himself. He hoped the situation would get better. It got worse. The next day, by second class, Adrien didn't want to even be at school that day.


	41. Back to the Bakery

"Chloe, is this really necessary?"

"Yes, now hold still."

The students walked into Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom and silently observed the situation. Chloe was holding a blue dog collar with a heart pendant name tag in her right hand.

"It's not my fault that those girls wanted my autograph."

She put it around his neck. "I know."

"Then what's with the dog collar?"

She finished tightening the collar. "Punishment."

Alya and Nino walked in, confused as heck. "What in the world?"

"Why is my bestie wearing a dog collar?" Nino asked.

"Her idea, not mine." Adrien answered.

Kim looked at the tag.

"What does it read?" Alix asked.

"It reads, ' _Adrien Agreste, property of Chloe Bourgeois. If found, please return to; Le Grand Paris, Top Floor, Imperial Suite. To the Agreste fangirl army; If anyone tries to kidnap, steal or otherwise pursue Adrien, you shall face the wrath of my father, Andre Bourgeois. Because Adrien is mine!'"_

Many gasped. Alya fainted.

"So Adrien and Chloe are actually dating. I never thought I'd see the day..." Max muttered under his breath.

"And Chloe just claimed him." Alix stated. "What do you think about this, Hercules?"

"I'm shocked that she was able to get him. Last I looked, I thought Adrien hated Chloe."

Adrien was offended. "First of all, I never hated Chloe. I've been friends with her since we were kids."

Nino tried lifting Alya off the ground, but he didn't have much luck.

"Adrien, could you give me a hand?"

He stepped forward a bit, but Chloe grabbed his wrist, preventing him from moving. "I'll help." Nathaniel said.

The two carried off Alya as Ms. Mendeleiev arrived. Nathaniel said, "She fainted and we're taking her to the infirmary."

"Alright, but hurry back."

They dragged her to the infirmary. Nino carried her back while Nathaniel got her legs. As they carefully went down the steps, they began to converse.

"What has she been eating?"

Nino didn't answer that question. "I can't believe everything that's happening. First Marinette goes berserk, and now Adrien's dating Chloe? What's next?"

They were on the first floor. "Don't even go there. It could be worse. Think about what's happening in America right now."

"You have a point. I feel bad for them. Okay, we're almost there..."

They walked further until they reached the infirmary. The nurse got up and asked, "What happened?"

"She fainted." Nathaniel answered.

"Akuma attack?"

Nino nodded. "No ma'm."

"What was the cause?"

"Surprise? Horror? Other emotion?"

She sighed. "Put her on one of the beds in this girls wing."

They did so. Much to their surprise, no one was there. They gently set her down and Nino looked at her, concerned.

"Nino, what's wrong?"

"Something just doesn't seem right. First the burning of the bakery, then Marinette losing it, and now Adrien's dating Chloe? Something isn't right. It's like... everything's gone wrong... There's no justice in the world."

Nathaniel looked at him strangely. "Are you sure?"

He clutched her hand. "I'm sure Alya thinks the same, but... knowing her... she'll never get anywhere... I can't let her investigate this matter." He looked at Nathaniel. "Hey. How about you and me try and figure out what really happened?"

"Like detectives?"

"Yeah. I'll be Sherlock and you can be Watson."

"Well... Why not?"

The two agreed to meet at the Notre Dame at 3:30. They got notepads, pencils, fully charged phones (to record audio conversation), and Nathaniel even got appropriate hats for both of them.

"So what's our first move?"

"We have to go back to where this whole mess began; the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Or rather, what remains of it."

The two walked to the bakery. Nothing was left but a bunch of rubble, ashes and debris. Much to their surprise, and happiness, there was no police tape around the immediate area. It was also deserted. This would make things so much easier.

Nathaniel looked at his classmate curiously. "You really think we'll find something here?"

"Well, we might find something. Let's split up. We'll cover the area faster. Look for anything that indicates Chloe or Lila might have been here."

The two started digging through rubble, hoping to find something. Nino found several pieces of an oven and a destroyed power cable, but nothing that implied either of the suspects had been here. Nathaniel found absolutely nothing. They had searched the area for nearly an hour.

"I got nothing. You?"

"Same dude. We should probably go."

Just as Nathaniel stood up, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He moved to a piece of rubble on his right, lifted it up and saw a few strands of yellow hair.

"Blond hair?"

He got on his knees and picked it up. Nino closely examined it. "The strands look like Chloe's. So thick yet so many of them." He sniffed it. "Even smells like her."

"Huh?"

"She frequently uses a special hairspray to retain moisture in her hair. It smells like the sea."

"You're right. Could this mean that Chloe was here?"

"She was here sometime before the bakery burned down, but how recent was her visit here?"

"Hmm..." Nathaniel pondered to himself for a moment. "That's a good question. Maybe one of the neighbors here saw her go into the store."

They interviewed everyone in the neighborhood. At first, they had no leads, but eventually, they found a young girl (Nino's sister Leah) who had valuable information.

"I thought that I may have seen a fairy-like figure jump from the roof to a trapdoor leading to the bakery."

"Can you describe the appearance of this figure to the sketch artist?"

Nathaniel stood by with a pencil and a sketchpad. He sketched everything she said. "Well, she had a black and yellow color scheme to her outfit. She had long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, and her wings were huge. I think she also had some kind of giant stick on her back?"

"Thanks for the information."

"No problem bro. But you owe mom an hour of chores."

Nino groaned. "Don't remind me."

They left Nino's house and went back to the Notre Dame.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so."

"Queen Bee." they answered in unison.

For a quick sketch, Nathaniel did a pretty good job. He got all of the details right, including the outfit and the giant stick (her spear). Nino looked at the sketch. "It's not enough evidence to prove Chloe is Queen Bee, but it's a start."


	42. Affairs of the Heart

The next day, another Parisian was akumatized. A bluenette with loose hair was crying inside the Notre Dame.

"Venus, I am Hawkmoth. I can offer you a chance at revenge and take what should be yours, if you do me a favor in return."

Mirelle smirked. "Of course, Hawkmoth."

Purple and black smoke surrounded her, turning her into an akumatized villain. Meanwhile, Adrien was not having a good day. Of course Chloe would make her relationship with him known to the public. He was glad the school day was over. He couldn't stand another minute with Chloe.

Plagg sighed in relief. "Finally. I'm away from that menace."

Adrien frowned. "Do you have to call her that?"

"I'm surprised that you're still friends with her."

"You sound like Nino."

"So? I think your best friend's right. She's terrible. And plus, you're cheating on Marinette."

"Plagg, you know I don't have a choice in dating Chloe! If I don't do what she says, Queen Bee will destroy Nino!" He sighed. "Besides, can you really call my relationship with Marinette official?"

The black cat kwami got out a wheel of Camembert. "You declared your love for her, passionately kissed her, and said aloud than you love her rather than Ladybug, whom you've had a crush on since day one. Your relationship may be secret and forbidden, but it's certainly real."

A loud scream was heard. "Sounds like trouble. We better move! Plagg, claws out!"

He transformed into Cat Noir and snuck out of the house. He got a closer look at the threat; a woman dressed in a pink prom dress and long purple hair. She was wearing a heart pendant necklace, a silk bracelet with pink hearts on it, three gold heart rings, all on her right hand, and diamond-like earrings.

Ladybug stood on a nearby rooftop. "Cat Noir! There you are! Mirelle's been akumatized!"

"Is that who it is?"

"Unfortunately." She turned away and mumbled, "Probably caused by Chloe."

He looked at her curiously. "Why are you blaming her?"

"Don't you know? She's caused a lot of akumatizations. Did you not realize that?"

"So where's the akuma hiding?" Cat Noir asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'm not sure actually. But standing around won't help us find out."

They jumped down from the roof and confronted the akumatized villain. She turned in their direction and smiled.

"So you finally decided to show up."

"Why are you doing this?!" Cat Noir asked.

"Chloe not only claimed Adrien for herself, she mocked me! She doesn't deserve that blond haired model! I do! And he will be mine, even if I have to destroy her!"

Cat was not sure how to feel about this. Suddenly he was blasted into a wall with a pink beam of energy. Ladybug ran to his side.

"Cat Noir, are you ok?"

"I'm fine my lady."

He got up and charged towards Venus. She then snapped her fingers. Several young men, many of them Ladybug knew, came rushing to her side.

"Servants, attack! Take their accessories!"

Her brainwashed servants ran towards them. Their eyes were all glowing pink, signifying that they were under Venus's control. Among those hypnotized were Max, Nathaniel, Nino, Ivan, Theo, Simon, Alec, Jalil, and at least 20 other men. Ladybug spun her yoyo defending herself and knocking down her classmates.

"Where did she get this many men to hypnotize?!"

Her partner took on the 20 unknown men. "And how did she even brainwash them?"

"That matters little, Cat! Venus is getting away!" she exclaimed, knocking down Alec.

He looked ahead and saw her heading towards the Grand Paris hotel. They had to stop her! Ladybug knocked out Jalil, and they had finished fighting the servants. They ran after Venus, only to be knocked by an energy beam from Volpina. She had showed up at the worst possible time, as always.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Volpina laughed.

"Cat Noir, can you handle her on your own?"

He chuckled. "It'll be easy."

"Hold her off while I deal with Venus."

She ran off, leaving him to face her alone. Usually Cat Noir would have been upset with this, but facing his second worst rival Volpina was the best thing that happened to him all day. That was saying something considering his day had been pretty bad.

He smiled. "Bring it on."

Cat Noir spun his staff, reflecting Volpina's energy beams to her. Meanwhile, Venus was entering the Grand Paris hotel. She enchanted all of the men to fall in love with her, and their eyes glowed pink.

"Take me to the elevator."

Chloe's butler lead her there. She pressed a button and waited for the elevator door to come down. She entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. Ladybug arrived after the door shut, so she started sprinting up the stairs.

 _I can't believe I'm still protecting Chloe when I know she's evil._

 _Evil or not, you must stop Venus. Otherwise, she'll take your Miraculous!_

 _If I told Cat Noir that I believed Marinette's theory, do you think he would believe me?_

 _I don't know._

Venus got to the room first. She busted down the door with a ball of pink energy and entered Chloe's room. Chloe was sleeping in her bed, with a pink sleeping blindfold covering her eyes. Venus grabbed her wrist, only to find Chloe vanish in a puff of orange smoke. She screamed loudly and Ladybug found her.

"I can't believe this! Where's the real Chloe?!"

Ladybug saw the entire scene and walked in. "Not here!"

"So you and Cat Noir managed to defeat my servants? You're far more persistent than I thought."

Her light mask appeared. "Stop hesitating and bring me Ladybug's Miraculous!" Hawkmoth commanded.

The light mask vanished and she blasted Ladybug into the wall. She threw her yoyo and grabbed the bracelet. She smashed it, but there was no akuma. She then temporarily glowed with a pink aura and it started messing with Ladybug's senses. She felt no desire to attack the akumatized villain. Venus then kicked her into the door that led to Chloe's balcony, breaking the glass into millions of pieces. She fell face down but got back up. Venus tried to snatch her earrings, but she swiftly dodged her every move.

"Give it up, Ladybug! You can't possibly defeat me!"

Ladybug tangled up Venus with her yoyo and snatched her diamond earrings. She stomped on them, but the akuma wasn't there either. Where the heck was it?

"Lucky Charm!" She conjured a fork. "A fork? How do I use this?"

Venus nearly blasted her down, but she side stepped to try and buy herself some time. Ladybug looked around. She saw a mirror, three lamps, and Venus glowing with pink energy. She threw the fork at a weird angle, towards the mirror, it bouncing off, and knocking over a lamp, the light from it blinding Venus.

"Ahh! My eyes! They're burning!"

Ladybug snatched the necklace and threw it against the ground, freeing the akuma. She went through the same routine when capturing an akuma. "No more evil doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!"

Venus detransformed into Mirelle. "What am I doing here? Ladybug?"

"You were akumatized. Don't worry, no harm was done."

"I never even found Chloe. Where is she?"

"I don't know, but you should probably get back."

"You're right. Thanks Ladybug."

"No problem."

Mirelle left. After checking the entire room (to make sure Chloe wasn't hiding anywhere), Ladybug changed to Marinette.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" Tikki asked.

"I want to see if there isn't anything I can use against Chloe."

Wayzz was worried. "You should get out of here."

"I'll be fine."

She got out her cloak and put her hood down. She looked around Chloe's room, wondering if she had a diary. Sadly, she didn't seem to have one. As Tikki nibbled on a cookie, Marinette continued to search for anything she could use. She searched for ten minutes, but had found nothing to use against Chloe, so she left. Meanwhile, somewhere in Francoise Dupont, Nino and Nathaniel were staying after school to compare notes.

Nino sighed. "We still don't have any definitive proof unfortunately."

"Wait.. Do I hear.. music? Like, a piano?"

"Where is that coming from?"

They followed the sound and found Adrien on the stage playing a piano. Nathaniel and Nino hid amongst the many chairs in the auditorium as he played a sad yet soothing song on the piano. They could see him, but he couldn't see them. Nathaniel saw something on Adrien's left wrist.

"Isn't that Marinette's lucky charm?"

In addition to wearing Marinette's scarf, he was wearing her lucky charm bracelet that she gave him. Nathaniel started audio recording his piano playing after he was about half way through the song.

"What exactly is he playing?"

Nino correctly guessed, "In the End by Lincoln Park?"

"Why would he be playing this?"

Adrien played with his eyes closed, trying to hold back tears. He recalled his memories with Marinette and the kiss. Why couldn't they be together without the fear of someone finding out? The song ended and he was heard crying softly.

"Adrien? What are you doing here?"

He immediately put away the lucky charm. "Oh hello Chloe."

"That music you were playing was beautiful, yet sad. Any reason?"

"None at all."

She smiled. "Well then, kiss me."

He looked a bit nervous, but he leaned towards Chloe and slowly kissed her. She deepened the kiss, and Adrien tried to fake a smile afterwards. Because of the look in his eyes, Nino knew it was fake.

"You got any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, I got a piano lesson, so I was practicing beforehand."

Chloe looked at him suspiciously. "Alright then. Come with me."

The two detectives got up after they left. Nathaniel paused the recording. Nino looked at the picture of Adrien with his scarf and lucky charm, then back at his partner in crime solving. "Adrien lied to her. His piano lesson is tomorrow. He told me."

"And did you notice that he was hesitant to kiss Chloe?"

"I have a theory that Adrien is actually in love with Marinette and this proves it. He's wearing her scarf, which he now knows Marinette made for him, and her lucky charm she loaned him. He's playing that sad song because he wants to be with her and he can't because she's a fugitive."

"Hold up, Sherlock. If Adrien is really in love with Marinette, then why in the world is he dating Chloe?"

He sighed. "That's a good question, Watson. One that I can not answer."


	43. On the Right Track

Later that day, Nino and Nathaniel were outside Francoise Dupont once again. Nino looked at his notes. "I have a theory that Adrien is being blackmailed into dating Chloe. But by whom?"

Nathan shrugged. "I have no idea. Do you?"

"Maybe his father? He is a big control freak."

"Perhaps we should ask their respective parents. You speak to Gabriel, and I'll speak to the mayor."

"Actually, could we reverse the objectives? Mr. Agreste hates me."

Nathaniel looked at his partner in crime-solving curiously. "Really? How come?"

"Long story." The DJ sighed.

The artist sighed. "Alright, I'll speak to Adrien's father, and you speak to Mayor Bourgeois."

"We'll meet up at the Louvre once we're done."

"Got it."

Nathaniel went forth to the Agreste Mansion. He breathed in, then rang the doorbell. An eyeball like camera suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Nathaniel was startled but tried to remain calm.

"Hello?" a feminine voice he didn't recognize asked him.

"Hello. I would like to speak to Mr. Agreste please, if he has a moment of spare time."

"Let me see if he is available."

He waited quietly for a moment.

"Who are you young man?" a masculine voice from afar asked.

"My name is Nathaniel. I'm one of Adrien's classmates. Are you Mr. Agreste?"

"Yes, I am. Why have you come here?"

"I came to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"I suppose not. You look like a nice young man. You may enter."

The doors opened and Nathaniel walked into the Agreste Mansion. The place was huge. A woman (Nathalie Sanscoeur) stood beside Gabriel Agreste. Nathaniel slowly walked up the stairs, stopping a few feet from Mr. Agreste.

He looked at Nathaniel curiously. "So what exactly brings you here?"

"Well, may I speak with you privately, without your assistant overhearing us?"

"Oh, certainly. Nathalie, go to my office and organize my designs for the next collection."

She promptly left. They went to the dining room. Nathaniel silenced his phone and turned on the audio recording without Mr. Agreste's notice. They sat down and the interview began.

Nathaniel asked, "Well, did you know that your son, Adrien, is in a romantic relationship with Chloe Bourgeois?"

"Yes, I did."

"Have you heard him talk about his relationship with her?"

"I have."

"And how does he feel about it, according to you?"

"He's actually very unhappy about it." He paused. "Wait a minute. Who sent you here?"

"My friend and I are trying to solve a few mysteries."

"Your friend? Who exactly is he?"

He hesitated. "If I told you, would you kick me out immediately?"

Mr. Agreste smirked. "Let me guess, you're working with Nino, aren't you?"

The red head nodded. "He's trying to prove whether or not Marinette is right. He also thinks that Adrien's relationship with Chloe may somehow be connected to all of this, but I'm not seeing any connections. Or maybe that's because of a lack of evidence... He asked me to come here because he told me that you hate him."

"He knows I dislike him. Perhaps I've been a bit too harsh on him. But either way, do you and your friend really think you can prove whether or not Marinette's claims are right?"

"I don't know, but we have to try. What do we have to lose?" Gabriel was tempted to say something, but he didn't. "And I hope I don't sound too accusatory, but you didn't ask or force him to do this, did you?"

"I didn't. He told me that he was in love with someone else."

"Do you know who that someone else is?"

"No, I don't."

"Oh. Well, perhaps Nino was wrong..." Gabriel looked at him curiously. "He has a theory that Adrien is actually in love with Marinette, but..." Gabriel looked surprised for a moment, but then it faded. "Maybe he was wrong. Thank you for your time. I am done here."

"I don't know what you and your friend are getting into, but I would advise caution. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Agreste. Have a good day."

He left the mansion and met up with Nino outside the Louvre. He told Nino about his conversation and played him the audio recording. Then Nino told him about what he had learned from Mr. Bourgeois.

"Really? You're kidding!"

"I'm not kidding. Mr. Bourgeois didn't know about the relationship between them. Heck, he didn't even know that Chloe had been pursuing him for so long."

"So, Nino, what did we learn today?"

They edited their notes. "Well, neither of their parents are blackmailing Adrien and Chloe into being in a romantic relationship. So if they aren't blackmailing Adrien, then who is?"

"This is a most puzzling question."

"I would say Chloe, but how exactly could she blackmail him? Adrien doesn't have a diary full of secrets to exploit. Unlike Marinette, who had a diary that Chloe ordered Sabrina to steal and tried to discover it's secrets, but had failed."

"It probably perished in the fire."

"Probably."

Nathaniel sighed. "I can't help but feel like we're so close, yet so far from the truth."

"I agree, but at the same, we mustn't forget that we're on the right track."

Meanwhile, Cat Noir and Ladybug had just defeated another akumatized villain.

"My lady, aren't you going to leave? Before I find out your identity?"

Ladybug's earrings beeped. Four minutes left.

"Yes, but... I have something to tell you. Cat Noir, I... I love you."

Cat Noir couldn't believe her words. "You do?"

Ladybug kissed him, and cupped her hands around his cheek. He closed his eyes and kissed her back.

"See you tomorrow, mon petit chaton."

Their Miraculouses beeped and Ladybug leaped away on her yoyo. Cat Noir was extremely happy. He leaped through Paris to his home, happily humming to himself. A few hours later, Ladybug was on patrol but Cat Noir was not with her.

 _Where is that Cat?_

Then she gasped. She saw Adrien and Chloe at a table at Le Grand Paris restaurant. They were both dressed in fancy attire. They appeared to be talking about something and Chloe was even laughing. She immediately came to a conclusion.

 _Adrien's dating Chloe?! But... why her?_

She felt like she should have been jealous, envious even, but instead... she felt sadness. Why did she feel like this? Was it because deep down, she still wanted Adrien to be hers? Or was it because it was a cruel reminder of what never was and never will be?

She turned away. Her civilian form was a fugitive. She believed that Adrien would never love her.


	44. The Chase Is On

Numerous days had passed by. End of the semester finals started in two days and would last for three days. Nino and Nathaniel were so close to solving the mystery of why Adrien is dating Chloe, and all the meanwhile, the latter was getting leery. She began to think that Adrien was not loyal to her. She recalled Adrien wearing Marinette's lucky charm and she heard a rumor from Lila that the blue scarf made by his father was actually made by Marinette. Chloe boasted that Adrien loved her, but she knew that wasn't the case. She needed to make Adrien hers. But how was she going to do that? She proposed a plan to her boss and her coworker, who was at Hawkmoth's liar.

"Are you out of your mind?" Volpina asked.

Queen Bee shrugged. "What? It's foolproof, and he won''t see it coming a mile away. I can't afford to wait much longer."

"She's right. The time for action is near. I have already formulated a plan to take over Paris and get the Miraculouses." Hawkmoth answered.

The fox looked at Hawkmoth curiously. "And what might that be?"

"While Chloe carries out her plan to make Adrien hers, you will create an illusion of Chloe, pretending to hold her captive and threaten to hurt her, forcing Mayor Bourgeois to surrender the city over to her. Don't worry Chloe, I'll ensure that your father is safe."

She turned sorrowful. "He's going to be in jail?"

"I'm afraid so. You can still see him as your civilian self, and you get to have even more power than your father ever did. Lila will take over the city, you're going to take over this country, and soon, I'll be the one ruling the world. Are you in or not?"

Queen Bee was somewhat reluctant, but she loved the idea of having power. And perhaps, should her own plan work, Adrien would be her king.

"I'm in."

"Perfect. We start our operation tonight."

"I'll see you later. I have a date to prepare for."

She hung up and went to her room. She detransformed and looked around in her closet for the sexiest dress she could find. After about three minutes, she found a one strap red dress and tried it on. Not only was it beautiful and hot, it looked perfect on her.

"This is a bad idea." Pollen stated.

She slipped out of her dress and got her white jeans back on. "Well, do you have any better ideas?"

"Stop being evil."

"You know I can't do that."

The kwami sighed. "How did I get stuck with such an evil, spoiled brat?"

She finished getting dressed. "Now for the invitation."

Meanwhile, Adrien was putting the Miraculous book and the Turtle Miraculous back into Gabriel's safe, as Ladybug had finished her training. He shut the safe door and swung the painting over the safe. Then his phone beeped. Another message from Chloe.

 _Hey Adrikins. Got any plans for tonight?_

 _Not really. Why?_

 _How about we get laid?_

 _Uh... What exactly is that?_

 _It's a surprise. Trust me, you'll love it._

 _Uh.. okay._

The instant he sent that message, he regretted it. He had a bad feeling stir up. He couldn't help but think something was wrong. But what? Meanwhile, Nino and Nathaniel saw Chloe and Lila under the bridge and decided to follow them. Nathaniel had been using his phone to record them in three separate videos, but he got nothing of valuable information. Then they stopped in an alleyway.

"I still can't believe your going through this."

"Honestly, do you think I'm insane?"

"I honestly think I'm the only sane one here. Hawkmoth is pushing his plans for world domination a bit too fast for my taste. We don't even have Cat Noir or Ladybug's Miraculouses yet."

"But we can easily get them. Don't you remember what Hawkmoth told us? Ladybug is on the run, and therefore, more vulnerable."

"We don't know where she is. And another thing, what if your plan to trick Adrien fails?"

"Then I'll lie to him. I'll create a fake test. I won't even ask you to use your Miraculous."

"Are you sure you can do this, Queen Bee? You are tricking him into sex, without protection I might add."

"I am certain, Volpina."

Nino gasped. Loudly.

"Wait a minute. Did you hear something?" Lila asked.

"Oh crap." Nino muttered.

Chloe approached them and found them as Nathaniel stopped the video.

"Well, well, look what we have here."

Lila grabbed Nathaniel's arms. Nino glared at the blond haired supervillainess. "How could you do this, Chloe?!"

She tried to play innocent. "Do what exactly?"

"Everything. Become an evil Miraculous holder, tricking Adrien, everything!"

"Let go of me!" Nathaniel screamed.

Volpina held her grip. "Sorry, but you won't leave here to warn the others! Seize him!"

Chloe ran towards Nino, but he backflipped and dodged her advances.

"Nino, heads up!" He caught Nathaniel's phone in his hands. "Get that to Adrien asap! He has to know the truth!"

"But what about...?"

"Just go!"

Nino ran away.

"Oh no you don't!" Chloe screamed.

She chased after him, only being seconds behind him. Normally she didn't run unless her life was in danger, but this was an exception. If Nino told Adrien the truth, it would ruin everything! Nino was terrified as hell, running through the streets of Paris as Chloe chased after him. He tried to call Adrien with his phone, only to find that it had a dead battery. He had considered using Nathaniel's phone, but that had only 10% left and it wasn't on low power mode. He had to show Adrien the evidence so he needed another way to contact Adrien, but how? After running for two whole blocks, he had briefly lost Chloe. He panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" a feminine voice asked.

He partially screamed but then saw that it was Sabrina.

"I'm fine. Can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call."

"No problem."

"Passcode?"

"Oh right. Sorry."

She entered her password in and lent the phone back to Nino. He went to contacts and dialed Adrien's cell phone number. It started dialing.

"Come on... Answer..."

"Hello?"

"Adrien. Dude, what's up? Where are you?"

"At the arcade, playing some video games with Max, Kim and Alix. Why?"

He heard growling from afar. Chloe had found him.

"Okay, I'll join you in... Ahh!"

"Nino? What's going on? Nino?!"

Adrien hung up and the chase resumed. Meanwhile, Nathaniel was held back by Lila.

"Aren't you tired of fighting the world?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh I heard you talking to Marinette. Your father doesn't support your adoration of the arts. Your older brother hates you. You were never good enough for them... You know I'm right... You can't deny it..."

Nathaniel didn't say anything, but he knew, in his heart, mind and soul, that she was right.

"I can make this pain and suffering end. If you join me and my master. You can rule over Paris, and get revenge on your family that's never understood you..."

Meanwhile, Hawkmoth sensed Nathaniel's sadness. "Oh yes, this is perfect. Another agent to join me in conquest." A white butterfly flew into his palm. He imbued it with negative energy, turning it into an akuma. "Fly away my little akuma, and draw him to us."

Nathaniel tied to fight. "No... This is wrong..."

She whispered into his ear in a sweet, poisonous voice. "How can you think that, Nathan? No one cares about you. You have no friends, Marinette broke your heart and your father cares nothing about you."

A tear slid down his cheek. An akuma slipped into his pencil again. The purple mask of light reappeared. Volpina let go of him.

"You know she's right..." a familiar voice said.

He knew that voice from anywhere. He was losing his grasp on reality.


	45. The Reckoning

Nino had managed to shake off Chloe again. He continued running through the streets of Paris, not even looking at the area around him. He didn't notice that several people gave him weird looks as he run, or that he ran through a green light three times. After passing another spotlight, he resumed walking and saw the arcade only a hundred feet away. Hope was in reach! Then he heard a clatter of plastic, the sound of heavy breathing and a foot skidding against the ground. Chloe was riding an old scooter and she had found him again. He started running again.

 _Just a bit farther..._ he told himself.

Meanwhile Adrien was inside, watching Alix trying to beat Kim's high score at a Galaga machine. He had a tormented look on his face, still wondering why he couldn't shake off the bad feeling.

"Is something wrong Adrien? You look like you're nervous." Max commented.

"Well..."

Just then, Nino slammed open the doors. He was nearly out of breath, but he screamed, "Adrien!"

The quartet of teens looked at him. "Nino? What are you doing here?" Adrien asked.

"There's not much time. Chloe..."

Chloe's growling could be heard from afar. Nino grabbed Adrien's wrist and dragged him down a hallway, and they eventually stopped in a deserted room that had half of the floor covered in power cables.

"Nino, what's going on?"

"There's too much to tell you and not enough time, but the main thing I must tell you is that Chloe is Queen Bee!"

Adrien gasped. "No, this can't be true! I've seen both Chloe and Queen Bee in the same place at the same time!"

"It is true!"

"I don't believe you!"

"I have proof!" Nino got out Nathaniel's phone and tried to pull up the video, but the phone suddenly shut off. It ran out of power. "Aw damn it!" He looked at Adrien and grasped his best friend's shoulders. "Look, I'm your best friend, and I would never lie to you. Chloe is Queen Bee, the evil Miraculous holder." After a brief pause of silence and shock, Nino added, "And Lila is the Fox Miraculous wielder, willingly working for Hawkmoth."

"I already knew about Lila, but Chloe... This doesn't make any sense... Why... why would she do this?! What could she possibly have to gain?!"

"To achieve a desire that would otherwise be impossible." a feminine voice answered.

Chloe walked into the room. She wasn't sweating (or she had just wiped it off), and she appeared calm.

"Chloe..." Adrien began.

"Look, Adrien. I know you're probably mad at me right now, and you have every right to be, but I'll tell you this. If you continue being my boyfriend, I'll abandon Hawkmoth. I'll stop being evil. Heck, if you want, I'll even give up the Bee Miraculous."

Adrien clinched his fists. "And you expect me to believe you?! You lied to me, to Paris, to your father! You blackmailed me into dating you! How can I trust you? How can I forgive you?!"

"Adrien... I love you... madly. I'm not just using you for popularity and wealth. I already have those things. I've loved you since we were little. I'm the only one who's ever truly adored you for you."

"You turned to the dark side. You killed Jade Sensei. You blackmailed me and threatened to hurt my best friend! I never loved you! I'm in love with someone else!"

"Ooo! Get wrecked!" Nino exclaimed.

"And we're through, Chloe!" Adrien ripped the collar off his neck and threw it to the ground.

"You're going to regret that, my love! Pollen, stripes on!"

The world spun so fast for Nino he didn't even realize what was going on, but Adrien saw the kwami for a split second as he grabbed Nino by the wrist.

"Adrien..." Nino gasped for air. "Did Chloe threaten to kill me?"

"She did." Queen Bee started destroying the powerlines, and a few various game machines. Adrien suddenly stopped as they got back to the entrance of the gaming room. "Run! Save yourself. I'll deal with Chloe."

"No way man! You gotta get away from that lustful bitch as soon as possible!"

"But Queen Bee will kill you!"

"So? Better for me to die than for you to live a life of misery!"

"Nino, I risked everything to protect you! You can't face her! You'll die!"

"Neither can you. You're not a Miraculous holder!"

Adrien knew telling others that he was Cat Noir was risky, but he was tempted to tell his best friend his darkest secret.

"Nino... There's something I..."

Suddenly Queen Bee had found them. "Malevolence!"

She fired directly at Nino, knocking him into the wall. "Nino!" Adrien screamed.

He watched helplessly as his best friend was knocked unconscious.

"Now it's your turn!" She tired to fire another beam, but she had run out of power. "This isn't over. I'll be back, and you will be mine!"

Queen Bee flew away as her Miraculous beeped. Plagg flew out from under Adrien's vest.

"Oh no... Nino..."

Adrien was trying to hold back tears.

"Adrien! We can't wait around! Nino needs help! Chloe, I mean, Queen Bee must be stopped!"

"You're right. Plagg, claws out."

He transformed into Cat Noir and immediately called for an ambulance. Once the medics arrived and took Nino to the hospital, Cat Noir ran off to find Chloe. He felt so many negative emotions all at once, and he was going to make Queen Bee pay, once and for all. Meanwhile, Nathaniel was on the brink of being akumatized.

"Do we have a deal?"

Every natural instinct screamed, _Yes! Do it! Get revenge on those who never understood you!_

He was about to accept the deal, but then a memory came to his mind. He had confided to Marinette about his troubles, and she understood him. Despite the whole situation as Evillustrator, he was still friends with her. And Marinette was not his only friend. He also had Nino, Ivan, Mylene, and Juleka. Juleka... Then he realized... Hawkmoth was lying to him.

 _No way this is happening again!_

He felt Hawkmoth trying to akumatize him still, and he felt anger. No, wait. It wasn't anger. It was determination, willpower and his own strength from within. Suddenly he had an orange light all around him, and Volpina screamed in pain. Nathan had fled, wanting to get away while the supervillain was stunned. The young artist was unsure what to do next. His phone was with Nino, and he could only hope that he safely made it to Adrien and conveyed the message to him. He stayed there for a few moments and pondered his next move.

When the orange light faded and Volpina had finally came to her senses, she growled and jumped to the rooftop. Unbeknownst to her, Nathaniel decided to follow her to see if he could thwart her plans. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop and Nathaniel used a pair of skates from a dumpster to pursue her. She finally stopped when she got to City Hall. She dropped onto the ground and created an illusion of Chloe in chains. The illusion and the supervillain walked forth as Nathaniel found them. Volpina kicked open the doors.

"Mr. Bourgeois, where are you?!"

He gasped in horror. "Volpina..."

"I'm ordering you to surrender this city over to me. If you refuse to comply, Chloe will suffer for it!"

The illusion of Chloe fell to her knees. "No! Don't you dare hurt her!"

Volpina smirked. Nathaniel ran into the room. "Don't listen to her!"

"What the?! You again?! I thought you ran away!"

He waved his hand through the illusion of Chloe and Mayor Bourgeois gasped. "Think again, Lila!"

She growled and threw an energy beam at him, he swiftly dodged her attack. She attempted to punch him but he was too quick. Mayor Bourgeois tried to run away, but she shot a beam right at his head, knocking him unconscious. Nathaniel slapped Volpina in the face and attempted to take her Miraculous, but she backflipped in the nick of time. He kicked her into the wall. He ran towards her only to be shoved aside. He nearly fell but quickly caught his balance. The genuine fox threw another energy beam at him, only for him to dodge.

"Give it up, Volpina! Your plan for domination has failed!" Nathaniel claimed, trying to sound brave.

"Your time is up, Nathaniel!"

She threw an energy beam at him, knocking him into the wall. After a few seconds, he got up.

"I may be down, but I'm not out!"

"We'll see about that." She tried to throw an energy beam at him, only for it to fizzle.

"Ha, you've run out of steam."

Her Miraculous beeped. Suddenly Volpina's communicator vibrated.

"Volpina, where are you?" Queen Bee asked.

"City Hall. Plan to take over Paris has failed." she answered. "Why?"

"I need you to get over here. Cat Noir's shown up and he's already called Ladybug for backup!"

"I'll be right there." She turned to face Nathaniel. "You may have won this round, but it's not over yet!"

Volpina threw a smoke bomb and disappeared. He had thought of pursuing her again, but then he recalled that Mayor Bourgeois was unconscious. He ran up the steps to his unconscious body. He reached for his phone, only to realize that it wasn't there. He then found Mr. Bourgeois's cell, pressed emergency call and dialed 112.

"Hello 112. What is your emergency?"

"Mayor Bourgeois has been knocked unconscious at City Hall."

"Alright, help is on the way."

The call ended. Nathaniel carefully dragged him to the ground floor while waiting for help to arrive. Pretty soon, the ambulance arrived and they were heading towards Hopital Saint-Louis.


	46. When Luck Runs Out

Meanwhile, Queen Bee and Cat Noir were facing off each other in the streets of Paris. Queen Bee tried not to overuse her power, yet she fought against Cat Noir ruthlessly.

Cat Noir felt conflicted. _If she knew who I was under the mask, would she continue to fight me?_ He tried to shove that thought aside, but that was not easy. He threw part of his staff at Queen Bee, knocking her out of the sky. He then took back the piece of his staff and rejoined them as she got up.

Cat Noir fought Queen Bee with his staff and the latter with her spear. They engaged in a pseudo sword fight. "Why do you continue this?!"

Queen Bee scoffed. "Why would you even care? You know nothing about me!"

With sadness, Cat Noir charged forward. She tried to fly upward and use Malevolence against him, but her wings were tangled by a red and black yoyo. Then she was thrown into the ground.

Cat Noir smiled. "My lady, man am I glad to see you!"

"I came as soon as I could."

Cat Noir briefly looked at her. Ladybug had finished her guardian training, which meant that she no longer had the Turtle Miraculous (or the Miraculous book). Adrien had placed both items in the safe, and the red and black dressed superheroine only had her own Miraculous.

"You little pest!" Queen Bee yelled.

"You're the one who's a pest, you winged parasite!" Ladybug retorted.

Queen Bee growled and fired Malevolence at Ladybug, only for it to miss. Soon Volpina arrived.

"I didn't miss much, did I?"

"Oh the party's just getting started!"

Queen Bee spun herself around, getting her wings out of Ladybug's yoyo. Cat Noir continued to fight against the queen while Ladybug fought against the fox. Volpina was trying to think of some ways to trick Ladybug into giving up her Miraculous, but she had none. The fight raged on for well over half an hour, neither side willing to give in. Alya, who had happened to be there by chance, got full footage of the fight from the very beginning.

"Just give it up! Evil never wins!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"You so sure about that? Marinette was never believed when she said Chloe was Queen Bee, or that I willingly worked for Hawkmoth as a Miraculous wielder. Evil never rests, and the darkness shall prevail!" Volpina claimed.

Cat Noir fought against Volpina. She fired an orange beam of energy at Cat Noir. Ladybug threw her yoyo around Queen Bee, tangled her up, and spun her around several times to make her feel dizzy. Eventually she released her and tried to steal her comb, but she quickly recovered and slapped her hand away.

"And how does darkness prevail?" Cat Noir quipped.

"You failed to prevent the death of Jade Sensei, you failed to find and apprehend Hawkmoth, you guys can't stop Queen Bee, and you couldn't save Lila from Hawkmoth's control time and time again."

"Cat Noir, don't listen to her! She's lying!"

He looked at her curiously. "How do you know that?"

Then the for real fox got an idea. "Queen Bee, slow down that cat!"

"Malevolence!"

The attack successfully hit Cat Noir, knocking him down.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed.

Cat Noir tried to get up, but he wasn't fast enough. Queen Bee ran forth. "It's over, Ladybug!" She snatched Ladybug's earrings and kicked her down as she detransformed. As the pink magic revealed a black-cloaked figure, Alya gasped in horror. Ladybug had met her downfall.

"Ladybug!" Cat Noir yelled.

Queen Bee put on Ladybug's earrings. Although she had her hood up and no one could see who she was, she felt defeated. She got up, started to cry and ran away. Once she was out of sight, she let her hood down.

"How... how could this have happened...?"

Marinette started crying. She was all alone. She had no friends to comfort her, no family to help her. Not even her kwami, Tikki, could hear her. She had been crying for so long she didn't even realize what was happening until it was all but too late. She saw the akuma.

"No no no..."

The akuma then penetrated her body. Since she had no objects of value in her possession, it had to use her body to try and corrupt her. She soon saw herself in an area with a black sky and purple mist on the ground. She looked around. Where was she?

"Hello there, little lady." a voice whispered.

She didn't see anything, but she knew that voice from anywhere. "Hawkmoth! What... what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to help you. You've been hurt. You've lost everything you have. Don't you want this all to end?"

She sobbed. "I...I do..."

"Then join me..."

"No... that's... wrong."

Hawkmoth appeared before her and extended his hand to her. "Join me, Marinette. You know you want to..."

"No, you're not here! I don't have a dark side!"

He scorned at her. "You think I'm an illusion? Can a mere illusion do this?"

He knocked her down with his cane. She moaned in agony. "You're real!"

"Of course I'm real. I'm as real as the nose on your face. And you know what else is real? Your dark side."

A mirror appeared in front of Marinette, showing her reflection. Her reflection showed her in a shadowy misty form in her gown from the gala. She unfurled her black wings and stepped out the mirror.

The shadow spoke, "You have no reason to pursue Chloe and Lila other than vengeance. You're no hero, and you're nothing but a coward!"

"No... this.. can't be true..."

"It is true." Hawkmoth spoke. "Chloe is not Queen Bee, and Lila is not a Miraculous wielder. You just want to see them suffer. I can help you with that wish. Join me, and you'll get everything you ever wanted."

Meanwhile, Cat Noir was struggling to hold off both Queen Bee and Volpina on his own. Volpina had knocked out Alya to prevent her from interfering, so he was truly on his own. Queen Bee was relentless.

"Give in, Tomcat!" Queen Bee taunted. "Without Ladybug, you're powerless."

"That's not true! Cataclysm!"

He activated his power, but then he realized, how was he supposed to use it? He was accidentally knocked down, and his hand touched the pavement, cracking it into several pieces.

Volpina smirked. "Waste of power and a waste of time."

The queen's spear charged with black energy. "Malevolence!"

Cat Noir felt a throbbing pain throughout his entire body. He was about to meet his end. Cat Noir's vision blurred and he felt dizzy. "Chloe..."

He fainted. Queen Bee stopped. _Does he know who I am?_ she briefly thought. She shrugged it off as she and Volpina approached the unconscious superhero. Meanwhile, in Hawkmoth's shadow realm, he was still tempting Marinette, who was standing there, sobbing.

"Join me, Marinette. Everyone thinks your evil. They don't understand you... You're all alone..."

A light mask formed around her eyes.


	47. The One Who Rises

Marinette had a light mask around her eyes. She was tempted to join Hawkmoth. He was right about many things, including the fact that she was alone. Then thought of Cat Noir. He loved her and she loved him. He was always by her side. Then she remembered that Hawkmoth was lying to her. Queen Bee was Chloe and Lila willingly aided Hawkmoth, and she knew it, even if she couldn't prove it. She looked at her shadow, then at Hawkmoth, and she clinched her fists.

"No way."

Hawkmoth looked at her angrily. "Excuse me?"

"I said, NO WAY!" she screamed.

Suddenly she felt a rush of energy and saw the red energy that surrounded her. Horrified, she screamed. As she screamed, Cat Noir woke up, but he was still weak and drowsy. Queen Bee grabbed his hand and put her fingers around the ring. Suddenly she and Lila were bonked in the head and then Queen Bee's hand was caught in a rope wire. She looked at her wrist and found a red yoyo. A black cloaked figure stood there, holding the rope.

"You were foolish to come back, Ladybug! You have no chance against us without your Miraculous!" Volpina claimed.

"Ladybug has fallen because of you, and this is not the beloved superheroine you speak of. As Ladybug falls, I rise." She took her hood down with her left hand.

"Marinette?" they all asked in unison.

Queen Bee laughed. "You're a fool to come here. You're nothing but a fugitive! A deranged lunatic!"

Marinette glared at her worst enemy. "I don't care! I know that I'm right, and I will always fight for what I believe, even if it gets me killed!"

Cat Noir gasped. "Marinette..."

Queen Bee smirked. "You're on!"

As Alya woke up and started rebroadcasting, Queen Bee fought Marinette by ceaselessly jabbing her spear at her. Marinette had to be quicker than she normally was, which was hard to do without her Miraculous transformation to aid her. She barely dodged Queen Bee's moves, and then she started spinning her yoyo to try and deflect Volpina's energy beams. Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped. Four minutes left. Volpina fired at energy beam at Cat Noir, which Marinette jumped in the way and deflected it back to the caster. She tried to punch Marinette, but she swiftly dodged every move. She even tried to trip up Marinette, but she had backflipped and caught her right wrist in her yoyo. Volpina had run out of power. A line on her necklace vanished.

"Cat Noir, now!"

"Gladly, Princess."

He ran over to Volpina and snatched her necklace. He pocketed it as Volpina detransformed back into Lila.

"No! How could I have been so easily defeated?" She knelt on the ground.

"I'm not willing to give in. Marinette has no chance against a double Miraculous wielder."

Queen Bee flew into the air then shifted into a hybrid of herself and Ladybug. She still had her wings, but her dress was replaced by a ladybug design and she wore a yoyo around her waist. The left side of her mask was from her Queen Bee form and her right side had Ladybug's mask. Other than those changes, she still retained most of her Queen Bee appearance and had her spear in her right hand.

Cat Noir frowned. "Since when was using two Miraculouses simultaneously possible?"

"That matters little, Cat Noir! We have to stop her!"

"Give up now, fools! It's over!"

She spun her yoyo, trying to entangle Cat Noir, but he dodged her every move.

Marinette looked worried. "How are we gonna stop her?!"

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You're the superhero!"

The high super-powered villainess continued laughing evilly. "It's over, Marinette! This is the end!" Black and purple energy formed around her spear. "Malevolence and Poison Sting, rise together and become one! Destroy your foe, I command..."

Cat Noir threw his staff at her, stopping her from completing the chant. His Miraculous beeped again as his staff returned to him.

"We got to get her to the ground! But how?"

He looked towards Marinette. "Any ideas?"

She widened her eyebrows. "Just one."

"What is it?"

"Throw me towards Queen Bee. I'll wrap my yoyo around her ankle and drag her down as I fall."

Cat Noir frowned. "That's a bad idea! What if you get hurt?"

"You got any better ideas?" she retorted as she continued to dodge Queen Bee's yoyo.

Cat Noir grabbed Marinette and swept her into his arms. "I guess not." He correctly positioned her and asked, "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

On her command, Marinette was thrown upwards with the aid of Cat Noir. In midair, she lassoed her yoyo around Queen Bee's ankle, dragging her down as Marinette gracefully landed on her feet. Queen Bee however, crashed into the ground. She got up but as soon as she did, Cat Noir grabbed her comb and Marinette grabbed her earrings. Marinette then kicked her in the stomach as she detransformed. Chloe was sent tumbling down the road, and eventually stopped, crashing into Lila.

"No! How could this happen?! I never lose..." Chloe mumbled.

"Thank you, Marinette." Cat Noir said. "I owe you my life, and my Miraculous."

"I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Especially with Ladybug losing her Miraculous."

"You're a coward, Marinette! A cold-blooded coward!" Chloe exclaimed.

His Miraculous beeped again. Police sirens could be heard in the distance. "You're about to change back. I'll return Ladybug's earrings to her and you go before the enemy finds out who you are."

Marinette ran off. Cat Noir briefly considered letting Chloe know who he was under the mask, but decided it would be better for her to not know and ran off. Marinette quickly put on her earrings. Tikki reappeared.

"Oh Marinette! I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Oh Tikki." She saw policemen get out of the car. "We better move. Spots on!"

She transformed into Ladybug and jumped into the fray as Cat Noir detransformed to Adrien in a back alley.

Plagg fell into Adrien's hands. "That was close."

"Yeah, no kidding." He handed his kwami a piece of Camembert.

"You ok?"

Adrien sighed. "I still can't believe Chloe turned evil and became Queen Bee. I want to hate her, but... I can't. Now... all I feel is... sadness, yet I never loved her."

"I suppose it can't be helped. You're confused and you don't know how to feel about your former best friend being an evil Miraculous wielder." He ate his cheese.

He finished his piece as Adrien saw the cop car. "Time to get back out there. Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien transformed into Cat Noir. Meanwhile, Ladybug was describing what happened during her fight with Queen Bee and Volpina to the cops as two police officers handcuffed the teens. Alya had finished recording the battle, but stayed to see if Marinette would come again.

"Well, I'll be darned. That crazy girl was right about Queen Bee and Volpina." one of them said.

The second one smirked. "You owe me 20 euros."

The first one sighed as Cat Noir entered the scene.

"Cat Noir, where's Marinette?" Alya asked.

"She disappeared. I tried to find her and reassure that she would be rewarded for her bravery, but she vanished." he answered.

"She wouldn't be rewarded! She's a criminal!" Chloe cried out.

"You and your friend have the right to remain silent." Roger spoke. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." He led them to the police car and shut the door. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, I need you to be present at their trial."

Ladybug tried to remain calm and content. "When is it?"

"Most likely tomorrow. We will inform you when you must come to the courthouse."

"Oh boy. Don't trials last like hours?" Cat Noir asked.

"Sometimes days, but we'll be starting early in the morning, so hopefully we'll get it done within a day. We'll send for you when the time comes."

Soon the police officers drove off, taking the convicts with them. The following morning, by 8:30, a twelve panel jury was confirmed, with Ms. Mendeleiev as the chief juror. After Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived, the trial began at about 8:45. Many people attended the trial, including every student in Mrs. Bustier's class, all of Chloe and Lila's teachers, Marinette's parents and numerous others.

"Court will now come to order, honorable judge Adolphus Kurtzberg residing." one of the police officers said.

On the right side of the room, Chloe and Lila sat at a table with five lawyers by their side. Mr. Bourgeois hired a team a lawyers to try and prove Chloe's innocence. He wanted to be there for the trial itself, but he could not attend because he had to deal with a major problem. On the left side of the room, Nino and Nathaniel were at a table, as they were witnesses to speak in opposition to the defendants. Standing in the background were Ladybug and Cat Noir, with the former being nervous.

"Oh, I got a bad feeling about this. What if I sound like a fool?" Ladybug whispered.

"Don't worry, Ladybug. You'll know what to say." Cat Noir said.

His words were reassuring. Cat Noir was almost always right. But why did she still have a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach?


	48. But There's No Happy Ending

The court was in session, and it was taking a while for Nino and Nathaniel to try and prove Chloe was guilty. She tried to deny that she was responsible for the bakery's destruction.

"Is that really the case?" Chloe hesitated. "Mr. Kurtzberg, come forth." Nathaniel walked forward and faced his judge, who also happened to be his father. "Nathaniel Kurtzburg."

"Your... your honor?"

"Is it true that you and your friend found evidence that points to Chloe being at the bakery before its destruction?"

"We have, your honor. Much to our surprise, there was not any kind of police tape around the remains of the bakery. We searched the place for nearly an hour, and we feared our efforts were futile. Just when we were about to give up, I found a piece of blond hair. It's color, thickness, and even scent had matched Chloe's."

He had given the officer the sample of hair and about ten minutes later, the bailiff confirmed that it really was Chloe's.

"Ms. Bourgeois, I will ask you one more time, did you have any responsibility, in part or in whole, in the destruction of Marinette's bakery and residence?"

She sighed. "Alright, it is true." The audience gasped. "But not for the reason one might expect. Those of you here who know me personally may believe that I was trying to murder Marinette and her parents. This is far from true. Quite the opposite actually. I wanted to emotionally break her. So I climbed to the rooftop, checked to be sure Marinette was not present, then entered. Her parents had already left the building, so I was all clear and ready to proceed with this plan."

"Did any part of this plan involve you using your powers from the Bee Miraculous?"

"You might find this surprising, but I didn't. I used a few electric wires, a few water balloons, and a wooden fan. First, I placed the electrical wires in Marinette's room, then led them down the stairs to the kitchen and living room, then left some in the bakery area, leaving another set of stairs wire free. That was my escape route. Beginning in the kitchen, I threw a water balloon at the wires on the stairs, starting a fire in the upper floors. I used the fan to make it hotter and spread farther. Then I went to the escape route as the fire spread across the rest of the living room and then did the same for the bakery. Afterwards, I transformed into Queen Bee and told Volpina the good news."

After some more questions, they were getting closer to the end of Chloe's courtroom interrogation.

"And for what reason did you send Adrien that message?" one of the lawyers asked.

"Truth be told I was attempting to lure him into unprotected sex without him knowing it and make him mine." The audience gasped and started mumbling. Cat Noir had gasped very loudly. "Don't look at me like that. Some women do it all time!" Ladybug was trying not to growl too loudly, but her partner in crime-fighting noticed.

"Order! Order!" Adolphus slammed the gavel down twice. "And did this plan ever come to fruition?"

"No, your honor, it didn't. Nino told him everything, and I tried to convince Adrien that I truly loved him and that I would give up being evil for him, but he didn't believe me. He claimed that he loved someone else, and then threw his collar to the ground. After the break up, I pursued them, knocking out Nino with Malevolence. Adrien then disappeared by throwing a smoke bomb and most likely took Nino to the hospital."

After she was done explaining the final battle, Nino was called to the stand.

"So, why exactly were you and Kurtzburg trying to prove Marinette's claims?" the second lawyer asked.

Eventually, Nino finished his testimony. After hearing the testimonies of Lila, Max, Sabrina, and Alya, the trial had been running for nearly ten hours (not counting the separate one hour breaks for lunch and dinner), and Nathaniel had gotten an idea on how to further prove Lila's guiltiness. But first, he had to finish his testimony by showing them the video of what happened before Chloe chased down Nino through the streets of Paris.

"Mr. Lahiffe has told the court that you found proof of Chloe and Lila being Queen Bee and a willing Volpina to accompany Ms. Cesarie's footage of the final battle." the third one stated.

"That is true. Nino never got to show it to Adrien because my phone had ran out of batteries, but now my phone is at a good 98% and I can show it to everyone."

Using the projector equipment, he played the video for all to see. Afterwards, Cat Noir and Ladybug spoke.

"Honestly, had it not been for Marinette's bravery, me and Cat Noir would have been defeated. Evil would have triumphed." Ladybug spoke.

"I owe her my life. Queen Bee probably would have killed me if she hadn't shown up when she did." Cat Noir added.

"Are there any more witnesses to call?" the fourth lawyer asked.

"Yes, your honor. I call Alix Kubdel to the stand." Nathaniel answered.

Alix, who was in the audience, widened her eyebrows, but she stood up and slowly made her way over to the stand.

"Ms. Kubdel, you are one of Lila's classmates?"

"That is true, your honor."

"And when exactly did she join your class?"

"I do not remember the exact date, but it was about a week before the third quarter ended."

"So, why exactly did she target you?"

"Well, at first, after my injury, I was unaware of why she hated me so much. In hindsight, I can now believe that she is angry with me because I exposed her as a liar."

"And how did this occur?"

"On Lila's first day here, she made many claims about how popular she was and how many people knew her. Some of these included, but were not limited to; Jagged Stone writing a song about her, Ladybug being her best friend and saving her life and flying in a private jet. I was skeptical of all these claims. Max was also skeptical, but he had no idea how to expose her. I was not willing to give up. Over a week after her arrival, I recorded a conversation between her and her coworker Chloe."

"After recording that conversation, I sent it to all my contacts, including but not limited to, Marinette, Adrien, Sabrina, Juleka, Nathaniel, Max, Ivan, Mylene, Nino, Rose, and even Kim. I sent these messages individually and also asked them to spread the word orally and on social media. I hoped that by doing this, Lila wouldn't find out that it was me who exposed the truth to everyone. Unfortunately, much to my chagrin, Kim flatly stated that I was responsible. At first, I thought she might be angry with me, but after Marinette accused Chloe and Lila of working for Hawkmoth for the first time, long before she lost her mind, I thought Lila was no longer angry with me. Alas, I had no idea how wrong I was."

"Then came the Chemistry Catastrophe. We were all on high alert after Marinette had been attacked with acid. Our heroes had yet to arrive, and it seemed as if the end was drawing near. I didn't believe that it could get any worse. However, nobody really addressed the fox in the room. Lila had screamed, tricking us into thinking that she was about to be akumatized but she was actually and willingly transforming into Volpina. My first thought was, 'Oh crap. Lila's been a..' and then my train of though was derailed when she suddenly threw a table at me, smashing me into the wall, breaking one of my ribs. Then the fall broke another one. And it hurt like hell. Since the pain was so agonizing, I started losing my sense of alertness and then started blurring into various states of consciousness. Luckily, Kim was nice enough to take me to the hospital. When the battle was finally over, much to our shock, and dismay, my ribs had not healed after Ladybug used her Miraculous healing power. Even now, after nearly six weeks, my injury has still not healed."

"Max has told us that you could have used his notes as evidence to prove Lila was willingly working for Hawkmoth. Why didn't you?"

Alix hesitated. "I was scared. For two reasons. One, I feared that no one would believe me and that everyone would think that I'm a deranged lunatic. And two, and more importantly, I was afraid that Lila would try to hurt me again, or even worse... I feared... that she could try to kill me." Everyone gasped. "I had no wish to face her wrath. Akumatized villains are dangerous, but evil Miraculous wielders are, in my view, even more hazardous because they can think more clearly, since they are doing evil actions of their own freewill."

"Very well. Has the jury reached a verdict?" Adolphus asked.

Ms. Mendeleiev stood up. "We have your honor. We find both of the defendants, Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi, guilty of all charges."

"Very well then. Chloe and Lila, arise." Adolphus commanded. "Lila, for brutal and deliberate assault, abduction, treason, terrorism, murder of Jade Sensei, and attempting to take over Paris through means of blackmail, you will be banished back to Venice, Italy, put behind bars and be subjected to a fine of 100,000 euros." The police officers took Lila away. "And Chloe, for destruction of private property, abduction, treason, terrorism, murder of Jade Sensei, and attempted murder of Ladybug, Marinette and Nino, you will be confined in prison for life and subject to a fee which will be used to pay for the reconstruction of the bakery."

"What?! No, this can't be happening! Curse you Marinette!" Chloe screamed as she was dragged away.

The trial was finally over. Ladybug had left and went to the alley. She watched everyone leave. The last people she noticed were her parents. She wanted to come up to them, tell them that she was ok, but... she couldn't. She sadly detransformed. She remembered what was said to and about her.

"Marinette deserves her comeuppance!" Lila claimed.

"She wouldn't be rewarded! She's a criminal!" Chloe cried out.

"Marinette, are you alright?" a voice asked, bringing her to reality.

Marinette turned around. "Oh Cat Noir. It's you. Listen, I need you to do me a favor." She took off her earrings and gave them to Cat Noir. "I need you to take these earrings and give them to Alya Cesarie."

"My lady. I can't let you do that."

She gasped. "You... you know?"

"I've known for quite some time. Why... why are doing this?"

"I can't run from the law forever. I'm tired of being a coward."

"But who will be the Great Guardian?"

"You can take the responsibility. If I continue running, it won't end well. Besides, you only love Ladybug."

"Marinette, I don't care that you're Ladybug." He threw his arms around her. "I will love you forever. You mean everything to me. Please, don't do it!"

"I love you too, Cat Noir. But that's why I must go. Marinette is a fugitive, cursed to walk forever in the shadows, yet Ladybug walks down the path of the light. Eventually, they'll find me, and I'd rather give up my Miraculous before that happens. Farewell, my sweet kitten."

She kissed him. He closed his eyes and then she ran away. "Marinette!"

But she didn't hear him. She ran to the nearest police station, more specifically the one in the 13th arrondissement. She left behind her cloak, let down her hair and entered the police station.

"Who, who are you?"

"My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I am turning myself in."


	49. Risking it All

Author's Notes:

-Oh man. That last chapter was a pain to write. (I really hope I got everything right...)

Cat Noir stood in the foyer. He had turned the painting of his mother around so he could access the safe. Since his father had adapted to the idea of Adrien being Cat Noir, he gave him the code to the safe; 08311997. He punched in the code, opened the door and saw the top shelf which included the Peacock Miraculous in front of the photo of Terra and the Turtle Miraculous in front of the Miraculous book. Cat Noir hesitated. He still could not believe that he and Ladybug had won the battle against Queen Bee and Volpina, but at what cost? He tried to shrug it off, and got out the fox necklace and put it next to the Peacock Miraculous. Then he put the bee comb next to the Turtle Miraculous. He got out the earrings.

He looked at the earrings. He had yet to pick a successor, and he had no idea what he was going to do. If he was to put these earrings in the safe, his father would be very worried. He didn't want to stress him out even more than he already was. Why did he feel so sad? He should have felt happy, considering that he just scored a major victory. Then he realized... Marinette was gone forever. Who knows where she had gone? He loved her, and he couldn't let her go, no matter how hard he tried. Tears began to fall down his face.

"Why did I let her go?" he asked the empty air.

 _You didn't stop Ladybug from turning herself in?_ a voice in his head asked. _Adrien. Not only is Ladybug Marinette, you love her! Why on earth did you let her go?_

 _I guess... maybe I thought I couldn't stop her. All I felt was_ _despair._ he mentally responded.

Adrien remembered what his father risked to save Terra from her overly strict parents, but what would he risk? If he aided a fugitive, he knew he would be in a lot of trouble. Guilt gnawed at his heart. It was his fault Marinette was in jail.

 _Plagg, I know you're tired, but if you help me with this next task, you'll be getting a big wheel of Camembert._

 _Oh dear, what are you doing?_

Cat Noir clinched his fist. _I'm going to save her. No matter what it takes._

Meanwhile, in Fresnes Prison, Marinette stood alone in her cell. She had not cried once. She wanted to, but... she couldn't. She knew that she was just as guilty as Queen Bee and Volpina were. _I'm just as bad as they are._ Marinette thought to herself. _I wanted to do the right thing, but... I... lost my mind in the process._ Her hair was still loose since she discarded her hair ties. She had no material possessions with her (as she gave them to Cat Noir), and, much to her surprise, they allowed her to keep her usual attire. She thought of herself as a fallen angel. She had no idea what was to come. She didn't know if she would get a trial, when and if it would happen, or what would happen afterwards. She didn't even think her parents knew that she turned herself in. No one but Cat Noir knew.

She missed him deeply. Why did she turn away? She softly sighed. Now more than ever, she understood why prison was called the stony lonesome. She began to think to herself, _Am I... am I damned? Do I deserve to be punished?_ Her train of thought was derailed when she heard hard, fast footsteps. She then noticed a rattling of metal. What was happening? She retreated to the upper left corner, the darkest one in her cell. She saw a figure in the darkness, she recognized him anywhere. Cat Noir turned towards her, with the rattling of the keys becoming more apparent.

"Cat Noir? What are you doing here?"

He looked towards her cell. "Marinette... I came to save you."

"But why?"

"Because I love you. I can't live without you."

He turned the key into the cell lock, opening the door. He grabbed Marinette's hand.

"But about the authorities? Will they come after me?"

"Let me worry about that."

Suddenly, shrill alarms rang throughout the prison. He scooped up Marinette and began to run.

"He's getting away!" said the officer who tried to arrest Marinette.

Marinette wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say. She threw her arms around her savior's neck and held on as he ran from the cops. He ran through the prison. The halls seemed to be endless. He recalled running down at least one flight of stairs, not even thinking about the risks he was taking. Cat then came to a sudden stop about 100 feet before the entrance, where an army of police officers and Lieutenant Roger Raincomprix were waiting.

Roger was smirking. "We sensed that you would come here."

"Surrender now or you'll both be in trouble!" said the officer who hated Marinette.

There were at least 40 of them, which was over triple the amount of officers he faced while escaping the Louvre during the framing of Cat Noir. He had anticipated this. He got out his staff and knocked them all down.

"Barricade the entrance!" Roger ordered.

The officers that hadn't been knocked down did as he commanded. Cat Noir didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. "Cataclysm!"

He destroyed the wall of the prison and quickly ran away. Roger winked as he left, which Cat Noir saw. He transported them to the third nearest rooftop. He gingerly set his princess down, who looked at him in surprise.

"Cat Noir... I can't believe you just did all of that."

"Well, I did. And here's some better news; the authorities won't come after you."

She blinked twice. "They won't?"

"I managed to convince Lieutenant Roger to set you free."

"Then why did they try to stop you?" she asked.

"Well, Lieutenant Raincomprix wanted to challenge me to prove to one of his new fellow police officers that Cat Noir can easily escape prison. The newbie wanted to see if I could handle a harder challenge. Before doing this, I asked them thee questions; One, if I failed, would you reimprison Marinette? Two, if I failed, would you imprison me? And three, why are you asking me to do this? He answered no, no and because Officer Eric never had faith in my skills. So I took the challenge. I had a mere two minutes to try and find you, then after that, they would try to stop me."

His Miraculous beeped. Three minutes left. "That makes sense. Your Miraculous is about run out though."

"I know, but I don't care." He got out the earrings and handed them to Marinette. "Will you be my Ladybug?"

She put on the earrings and Tikki reappeared. "Marinette!" The kwami hugged her chosen. "I'm so glad you're okay." Marinette smiled.

Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped again. "Cat..."

"My lady... Ever since the day I found out who you were behind the mask, I wanted to tell you who I was, but... something always got in the way. First my friends questioning me, then me being blackmailed into dating a girl I never even loved, and..." He hesitated. "I don't know if you know who I am... You might be surprised when my mask does fall though."

Marinette felt her heart pounding. "My love, I've never really asked this question, either aloud or in my mind, but who are you?"

"I'll give you a hint; my name is the same as the guy Queen Bee adores."

She gasped. Then Cat Noir's Miraculous beeped one last time. He detransformed. "Adrien?!"

He nodded. "I was told by Alya that you were in love with me after you ran away from the authorities, but now, neither of us have to run."

"I'm glad it's you, Adrien."

Plagg came out from under Adrien's vest. "Tikki!"

She beamed with happiness."Plagg!"

The two kwamis flew up to each other and embraced in a tight hug. "Oh man, I haven't seen you in decades!"

"I have to say, compared to Joan and Hitler, these are much better circumstances to reunite under."

Marinette was baffled. "Huh? What are you two talking about?"

"Oh nothing important. Can we go home now? Adrien owes me a big wheel of Camembert."

Tikki looked a bit displeased. "You're still thinking about cheese?"

He smirked. "You know me too well."

"But where will me and Tikki go now that the bakery's been destroyed?"

Adrien suggested, "You can live at my place. I'll even take you there."

The young fashion designer smiled. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'll take you back there. It's the least I can do for you saving me. Tikki, spots on!" She transformed into Ladybug and took the boys back to the Agreste Mansion. She then detransformed. "So where will I sleep?"

"You can have my bed."

Marinette blushed like crazy. "Your... your bed?"

"Yeah. You can have my bed, and I'll take the couch."

"Oh, okay." She got under the sheets. "Are you sure your father's okay with this?"

He handed Plagg a large wheel of Camembert, got a pillow and sheet, and got comfy on the couch. "I'll worry about it in the morning. Good night, my lady."

"Good night, kitty."

They soon drifted off into sleep. The following morning, Gabriel noticed that Adrien wasn't awake, and that a photoshoot was to occur in ten minutes. He went to his son's room. "Adrien you're going to be..." Gabriel saw Marinette on Adrien's bed. "Adrien Agreste!" Adrien was startled and he fell off the couch. He looked at Adrien. He laughed, but Gabriel was still angry. "I thought you agreed to be more honest with me."

"I did, but it was so late when we got back and I wasn't sure if you were awake."

"Uh, Adrien. Does he...?" Marinette began.

"Know that I'm Cat Noir? Yes, he does."

"How did he find out?"

"He caught me rummaging through one of his private storage areas and I was forced to explain Plagg's existence and how he's associated with me."

After a while, Gabriel set up a room for Marinette to stay in. She asked for the grey walls to be painted pink, and she wanted to help out with them. A while later, he returned to Marinette with good news and bad news. The good news, she had not been expelled. The bad news, she had only three days to cover nearly two weeks of material, and would have to stay after school for all three days. She also had to take all her finals in one day.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Adrien asked.

"I have to at least, try, right?" Marinette asked.

Three days later, after a long, stressful day of test taking, Marinette walked out the school, with Adrien waiting for her. She nearly collapsed, but Adrien caught her.

"You okay?"

She yawned. "I'm just really tired."

"You mind going to Le Grand Paris for a while?"

"I'm really tired. What's this for?"

"It's a surprise. Planned out by me, Alya, Nino and Nathaniel."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll just take a nap in the back."

They drove to Le Grand Paris. After a brief nap, Marinette got up and she and Adrien exited the car.


	50. A New Beginning

Author's Notes:

-It's been a long ride. (Why is it that my T-rated fanfics are always the longest?) This is the last chapter. I may or may not make a sequel to this, but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Marinette and Adrien were outside Le Grand Paris. "So what's this all about anyway?"

"You'll see." He put a blindfolded her and then led her to a big reception room. "Take off the blindfold."

She took off her blindfold. "Congratulations, Marinette!" numerous voices chanted.

She adjusted her eyes and saw Alya, Nino, Nathaniel, Ivan, Mylene, Sabrina, Rose, Juleka, Kim, Alix and Max standing there.

"Woah. What's this all about?"

"Numerous purposes; to celebrate you finishing the ninth grade despite formerly being a fugitive, and to celebrate your victory against Queen Bee and Volpina." Nino answered.

She rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I was merely assisting a superhero."

"You have to remember Marinette, without your help, Cat Noir would have failed. He owes you his life." Alya added.

"Honorable mentions also include Nino and Nathaniel." Max gestured to them.

She nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, I heard about their brave exploits at the trial."

"You were at the trial?" Mylene asked.

"Well, technically, I was there incognito because I was still a fugitive at the time, but I attended the trial."

"I've also heard rumors that you and Adrien are now a couple. What's up with that?" Alix asked.

Marinette shuttered, so Adrien stepped in. "Well, I realized how much she had meant to me after she had ran away, but it was too late. I feared that I'd never see her again, especially after Chloe blackmailed me into dating her. However, after an akuma attack, I had found Marinette by sheer chance and told her how I felt. I also secretly aided her however I could. I never told anyone in fear of being scolded or ending up in legal trouble, but now, we don't have to hide in the shadows."

"Now we can all rejoice in the greatest turning point in this war." Alya stated.

And so they danced, listened to Nino's awesome DJ music, and enjoyed themselves.

Marinette was eating some macaroons. "You were too kind to set up all of this."

"No problem, Marinette. Truth be told, it was originally Alya's idea, the rest of us just helped prepare."

She looked at her boyfriend curiously. "Does anyone even know that I'm technically living at your place?"

"The only people who know are Alya and Nino. Everyone else thinks you're living at Alya's place while the bakery is being repaired."

He got out Marinette's lucky charm that she gave him so long ago. "And I thought you might want this back."

"My lucky charm. You kept it?" He nodded. "Then keep it. As a symbol of love and trust."

He put it back onto his wrist. Alya stood up and raised a glass of fruit punch. "Ladies and gentlemen, I propose a toast; to the downfall of Queen Bee and Volpina!"

They followed suit, raising punch glasses and soda cans. "To their downfall!" they all chanted in unison.

They clinked their glasses. Everyone enjoyed themselves, dancing into the night until the party ended at one in the morning. The following day, the two were discussing whether or not to distribute the Miraculouses to any new recruits. Eventually, they reached a conclusion. A few days later, the lives of three teenagers were changed forever. Nino was in his room, waking up after a long night of video gaming. Sabrina was sitting on her bed about to read a book. Nathaniel was hanging his report card on the wall. They all noticed a small black box with red decorations on it.

"What's this doing here?" they asked in unison.

They all opened their boxes at the same time. Sabrina saw a sphere of yellow light. After it faded, Pollen smiled at Sabrina.

"Ahh... A bee!" Sabrina screamed.

"Sabrina, calm down!" Pollen exclaimed.

Nathaniel was nearly blinded by the sphere of orange light. The sphere of light faded, revealing Trixx to him.

"Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm Trixx, and I'm a kwami."

Nino looked away from the light. The green light disappeared, and Wayzz looked at his new turtle.

"Woah. This is crazy. This must be a prank."

"This is not a prank."

Nino blinked twice. "The turtle is talking."

Two days later, as the first week of the heroes' summer vacation was ending, Armand D'Argentcourt had been akumatized again. Along with Reflekta, Darkblade was one of two akumatized villains to reappear after a true re-akumatization. Volpina didn't count since she had only been akumatized once before getting the Fox Miraculous and few people considered the Puppeteer Show. Once again, Darkblade was trying to take over Paris. The battle should have been easy for the Lucky Duo.

But it wasn't. They were actually losing. Ladybug had her hands tied behind her back by one of Darkblade's knights. Cat Noir was being restrained by two knights. A light mask appeared over Darkblade's eyes.

"Nice move, Darkblade! Now get her earrings!" Hawkmoth ordered.

He approached Ladybug and was about to steal her Miraculous, but a shield ran across his arms, causing him to retract in pain. The disk returned to its owner; a green-suited hero with a green mask over his eyes. His hair was brown and his skin was tanned. He glared at Darkblade with his brown eyes.

"Leave her alone, you crazed landlord!" he exclaimed.

Darkblade charged towards the green-dressed hero, but he used his shield to deflect his attacks. Cat Noir broke free from his guards and noticed an illusion of him still held captive was created as he freed Ladybug from the ropes binding her hands.

"That's two out of three. Now where's the third?" Ladybug asked.

Darkblade noticed Ladybug and Cat Noir fighting his knights. Suddenly a hand waved through the illusion and a young man in a fox suit appeared. His red hair blew gently in the wind. Using his flute as a sword, he engaged the knights in combat. Darkblade ran towards city hall.

"He's getting away!" the fox said.

"Oh no he ain't!" a voice answered.

A young girl in a yellow and black suit appeared near the entrance to City Hall. She had short orange hair and a pair of human-sized bee wings on her back.

"Young maiden, out of the way, unless you wish to become a knight yourself."

"Not happening, Darkblade!" the young lady claimed.

She pulled out a spear and used its tip to damage his armor. Ladybug then used her yoyo to grab the sword and released the akuma. She caught it, purified it and released it into the air.

"Bye bye, little butterfly." Ladybug said.

The crowd had cheered until they saw the bee and the fox. They started murmuring.

"Did we do something wrong?" the girl asked.

"They're probably just nervous seeing new Miraculous wielders after Queen Bee and Volpina hurt the city." the fox answered.

Nadja Chamack and several other people were there. "This is Nadja Chamack reporting to you live after three strangers aided Ladybug and Cat Noir in defeated Darkblade, who had been akumatized for the second time. Some people are beginning to wonder if these new heroes can be trusted." She turned her microphone to the the new Bee Miraculous wielder. "You're the new Queen Bee right?"

"I guess."

"Then answer me this; how will you protect Paris?"

"Well, the Bee Miraculous and all other Miraculouses for that matter, are supposed to be good. Malevolence is the darker side of the Miraculous's true ability. I will never use my powers to hurt anyone or anything."

"Nice to hear, Queen Bee."

"Please, do not address me as that title. Queen Bee... she was a queen of sorts, but she was a monster. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Queen Bee believed that she was above everyone else. Under this mask, I am just like you; a woman of the people. So do not call me Queen Bee. Instead, call me Abeille." she answered.

"Abeille. I like that." She turned to the fox dressed hero. "And you, fox, how will you fight against villains?"

"The name's Renard, and if I have to use my powers of illusion, they will be used against Hawkmoth and his army of akumatized villains. I will never use them to deceive others or for selfish purposes. I will do whatever I can to protect this city."

"And you young turtle hero. How long have you been the Turtle Miraculous wielder?"

"Only a few days. I never expected any of this to happen. I thought that Jade Sensei would take the Miraculous with him to his grave. Looking back on it, I realize that I was wrong. But I am sure that I won't meet a similar fate."

"Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Jade Ninja." he answered.

"And there you have it folks. Three new superheroes, chosen by fate, to protect the city and fight against the forces of evil. All praise Jade Ninja, Abeille and Renard!"

Later that day, after defeating the akumatized villain, Marinette was holding the Miraculous book in her hands.

"Do you think we made the right choice?" Adrien asked her.

She put the book down. "I think they'll be up for it. Just give them some time. It's not easy being a superhero."

Gabriel, who happened to overhear the entire conservation, accidentally fell onto the room and into the foyer.

"Oh pardon me, I did not mean to..." He saw the Miraculous book. He keeled down in respect. "I did not know we had invited the Great Guardian here. Welcome Ladybug."

Adrien said to Marinette, "It's okay, Ladybug. He knows about Miraculous wielders."

She looked at Adrien's father curiously as he arose from the ground. "And how is this so?"

He sighed. "It's a long story."

The famous fashion designer explained his entire backstory to Marinette.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Ladybug..." He hesitated. "I don't know if you have this power, but could you free my wife from the Peacock Miraculous?"

"I can at least try."

An hour later, after dinner, Ladybug said she would try to free Terra from the Peacock Miraculous. Gabriel laid the Miraculous on the ground about 50 feet from where Ladybug stood behind the safe. He then stood by Adrien's side in silence. Ladybug placed her hands together, as if in prayer. She gathered energy that was invisible, then extended her left hand towards the Peacock Miraculous. The invisible energy turned red and a column of blue light shot out from the Miraculous. She had created a portal. Then used her right hand to drag a blond haired woman out of the portal, allowing her to land on her feet. Once she had fully emerged, she landed on the ground. Ladybug dropped to her knees afterward and the light vanished. Terra Agreste had finally been saved.

"Ow... My head..."

Gabriel looked towards her. "Terra, do you remember me?"

"How could I forget?" She threw her arms around him.

"It's good to finally have you back. I feared that you may have been lost forever."

"Mom..." Adrien threw himself into her arms.

"Oh Adrien..."

He cried tears of joy. "Mom, I missed you so much."

After a heart-warming reunion, she became curious. "How long was I trapped in the Peacock Miraculous?"

"Nine months." Gabriel answered sadly.

"Oh man. That is such a long time. What has happened in my absence?"

"Quite a lot. I'll try to give you a shortened version." Gabriel answered. "Shortly after your imprisonment, an evil Miraculous wielder named Hawkmoth appeared. Using the Moth Miraculous, he can create akumas that turn ordinary people into supervillains that terrorize the city. Luckily, Ladybug and Cat Noir rose to stop him. Ladybug is a young girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who's now staying with us after the destruction of her home and formerly being a fugitive. She is also the new Great Guardian after Master Fu's tragic demise. Our son, Adrien, is Cat Noir. For the last few months, the two faced Queen Bee and Volpina, who wielded the Bee and Fox Miraculous respectively, two of Hawkmoth's most powerful agents. Over a week ago, they were defeated thanks to the combined efforts of Cat Noir, Ladybug, and later on Marinette. The two villains faced punishment for their crimes. As of today, three new superheroes have joined Ladybug and Cat Noir in the Miraculous Civil War; Jade Sensei's successor; Jade Ninja, Volpina's successor; Renard, and Queen Bee's successor; Abeille."

"Oh wow. All of that happened within nine months?"

"That and even more. I'll tell you everything when I get the chance."

"Who is Hawkmoth? And what does he want?" Terra asked.

Ladybug got up and detransformed into Marinette. "That's what all of us have been asking, and yet we still don't know."

"I don't know who Hawkmoth is or what he wants, but... if it's who I think it is, then he may not give up so easily, despite his recent loss."

"Who do you think it is?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel sighed. "I have a theory, but you're not going to like it. Especially you, Terra."

She turned pale. "Why? Who do you think it is?"

Meanwhile, in the Notre Dame, a middle-aged man was extremely angry.

"I can't believe this! We were so close! How could one ordinary girl have ruined everything?!"

"Master... I.. I know you're angry, and you have every reason to be, but I'm sure there's an explanation." a purple kwami answered.

Nooroo was very scared of his master's anger.

"There must be something special about Marinette that allowed her resist my power."

"Mr. Agreste, are you sure?"

Jacques Agreste smiled. "I can understand how Nathaniel resisted, as he had been akumatized once before, but why could Marinette resist?"

He recalled seeing Marinette cry. He thought back to Ladybug crying at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He remembered seeing Ladybug's earrings close to running out of power. Then he remembered Marinette's earrings being absent when she was about to be akumatized. He realized the truth, and then smirked.

"Oh... You think you're so clever Marinette. Or should I say Ladybug." Nooroo gasped in horror. "Now that I know who you are, there's nowhere you can hide from me!"

He saw the five heroes gathered on a rooftop. "Enjoy your time as Ladybug now Marinette. Because soon, your Miraculous will be mine!"

Jacques laughed evilly. "Oh no... Ladybug... I know you can't hear me, but please, be careful!" Nooroo whispered sadly.

"Nooroo, darkwings, rise!" he exclaimed.

Jacques transformed into Hawkmoth. His evil laughter echoed off the walls endlessly. Now that he knew who Ladybug was, he would stop at nothing to get her earrings.


End file.
